Markel (UK) Limited, the retail arm of Markel International, has today launched a new range of integrated products specifically designed to provide insurance protection for the employment practices exposure of small and medium sized employers. As employment legislation is becoming more complex and employees become increasingly aware of their rights, employers need to have effective insurance cover against employment claims. Markel’s new comprehensive approach to EPL (Employment Practices Liability) will address these needs.   

Steve Carroll, Managing Director, Markel (UK) Limited said: “Employment disputes are becoming more frequent and more costly, the area is now widely recognised as one of the fastest growing areas of corporate liability and one which employers fear.  This is set to continue, as employees increasingly turn to ACAS and the Employment Tribunal Service in an effort to resolve employment disputes, seeking financial recompense and asserting their rights. It is now a very real possibility that even a responsible employer with a well run business can become embroiled in an employment dispute by innocently falling foul of the myriad of regulations - a situation which is unlikely to improve.”

The new Markel products are designed to meet the needs of brokers’ industrial and commercial clients, professional clients and charities and associations. In addition to providing EPL covers in isolation, a range of ‘combined’ products also cater for related ‘management risks’ such as directors and officers liability, trustee liability, fidelity (crime) which can also be arranged, where appropriate, as part of a ‘professional risks’ package. 

Steve Carroll said: “By creating products that, in one single package, offer a full range of protections that people really need, we believe we can help reduce the complexity of the insurance process. It is our aim to offer superior cover at a competitive premium - a really attractive proposition for brokers and for their clients”

“As well as offering insurance cover, we also provide our clients with access to a web based employment practice resource, which offers a wide range of information concerning employment laws and regulations; an employer’s guide, which tells them how to prevent or to deal with common employment liability events which may arise; and we shall be running training seminars for brokers and their clients, to help them understand and manage their employment practices liability exposure”