Over the coming months, we at GG Insurance Services will be writing guides for each various type of insurance to help demystify and spell out how they all work.
We also have a special offer available, by using discount code SPUKIE, developers and publishers will receive a 7.5% discount to UKIE members and a 2.5% discount to non-members off our usual insurance package price. *
You can apply for a quote at our website here: https://www.gginsurance.net/
Employers Liability Insurance
What is it
EL protects you against the cost of compensation claims arising from employee illness or injury, sustained as a result of their work for you.
What this means in practice
If a worker (or former worker) claims that the work they did for you while at work caused them illness or injury, they could sue you for any amount they wanted.
Long hours (e.g. Crunch) could cause stress-related sickness, and employees (or former employees) could sue the company for any amount. Other things from repetitive strain disorder to trips and slips can also lead to claims.
Why is it important
Of the various insurances available, Employers Liability (in the UK) is in fact a legal requirement. That means that as soon as you employ one person other than yourself, you must purchase a minimum of £5,000,000 insurance cover for them.
If you fail to provide cover for your staff, you may face a fine of up to £2,500 per day.
How much should I buy
As the legal minimum is £5,000,000 this decision is made for you, however many insurers (including the ones we work with) can offer much higher limits.
Employers Liability is a relatively cheap type of cover and is widely and easily available, and is priced based on the number of people you want covered under it.
When purchasing it you must make sure you are covered for your specific company operations (eg Game Developer). As the risk to an insurance company would be different to cover a dev versus a manual labour construction company. So if your company activities are incorrectly listed on your policy schedule, it may be held against you in the event of a claim.
What about contractors?
Contractors are usually not considered employees, so you would not be legally required to insure them.
There is a line however; if they work under your direction and use your tools and materials. They are legally considered employees, and so they do need to be covered by your employers’ liability policy.
If they are working outside your immediate direction, and provide their own tools & materials then they are considered contractors.
It is important to remember here, that a contractor could still sue the company just as much as an employee could, and while you may not be legally required to buy insurance against this, you would be taking the risk onto the business if you chose not to extend cover to your contractors.
Where to get it?
You can apply for a quote at our website here: https://www.gginsurance.net/
GG Insurance Services provide expert protection for the Games Industry, and insurance policies that cater for your individual needs.
All our team are qualified to give advice and we always present clients as many options as we can and talk it through with them to make sure they are making an informed choice, understand what they are covered for, and are comfortable with the price.
This industry moves quickly, and we appreciate insurance is not always at the forefront of people’s minds; we therefore check in regularly with our clients to make sure their policies are adequate and up to date on an ongoing basis.
We pride ourselves on our passion and understanding of this industry. We take a very proactive approach to our own learning and understanding as the industry constantly changes and believe it is crucial that any broker representing a Games Industry client understands not only how the insurance works but the games industry itself.
We also have a special offer available, by using discount code SPUKIE, developers and publishers will receive a 7.5% discount to UKIE members and a 2.5% discount to non-members off our usual insurance package price.
This is not a promise to beat existing insurance, but a discount on our own products provided through GG Insurance Services. Offer valid until 30th November 2019. For any questions contact phil@gginsurance.net
