It would have made for a far shorter and less entertaining movie, but if Kate Hudson really wanted to get rid of Matthew McConaughey she should have just required him to buy insurance before the first date. The true buzzkill to any relationship – even just mention the word insurance.
Sadly this post is less about Kate and Matthew’s relationship, and more about the impact that insurance has on less romantic relationships – corporate relationships. Although a blog post about insurance requirement compliance isn’t likely to go viral (we admit, the title was reaching), it’s a topic that comes up daily in customer discussions at Bunker. Every mature company has insurance requirements, and auditors will tell you it’s a core risk management practice. It probably goes without saying that at Bunker we encourage the practice. So much so that we built an entire company around improving the process of requirement creation and fulfillment. Our singular mission is to streamline what is almost invariably a painful process for everyone involved.
“Every mature company has insurance requirements, and auditors will tell you it’s a core risk management practice.”
Since the topic comes up so regularly, we thought we’d take a moment to share a quick DO’S and DON’T list for insurance requirement best practices.
DO’s
Set a low goal (around 3-5 depending on your company size) of different insurance requirement profiles. By having a low goal, it will challenge you to find requirements that are used consistently across your organization, as well as inspect and question the existing variety. For example, create tiers based on the size and/or risk level of the engagement or contract, like “projects under $500,000, $500,000-$2M, $2M+” or “Business Services, Technology, Mission Critical”.
Use a data-driven approach to set relevant and risk appropriate coverages and limits. Easier said than done, but start small and focus on your selected tiers from the previous bullet. If you have more folders of COIs (certificates of insurance) or spreadsheets than you know what to do with, Bunker can help with a requirement assessment.
Seek input from the business leaders who are on the front lines executing these contracts, such as your HR Managed Service Provider (MSP) or Contingent Staffing Manager. They can help validate your requirement profiles, identify risk appropriate coverages and simplify what might seem like an overwhelming process.
DON’Ts
Use the same insurance requirements you’ve used for decades without revisiting. If ‘Larry in Legal’ or “Patty in Procurement” set these requirements back when Carter was President, it’s probably time for a refresh.
If you hire a freelancer for a 6 month/$150,000 consulting project, don’t make them carry the same level of insurance you’d require of a large enterprise partner delivering a multi-million dollar project. This is one of the barriers, among others we’ve previously discussed, that turn away great freelance talent.
To the last point, we LOVE that you’re embracing the Future of Work. We’re behind that 100%, and it’s another one of the reasons we built Bunker. We’re here to help enterprises set effective and relevant insurance requirements for their contractors and freelancers, then dramatically simplify the procurement and compliance process.
It sounds simple, but like any relationship it takes passion and persistence. We’re up for the challenge, cause at Bunker we believe that even with insurance, the Future of Work can still be a love story.
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