A VETERAN OWNED SMALL BUSINESS | Call or text now for a FREE consultation: +1 (770) 765-3692 | Website LoginCyber security challenges are not just limited to large banks, credit bureaus, utilities, or other critical entities, they effect all businesses.
The infographic below, presented by techjury, reveals the cyber security statistics for 2019.
Republished with permission from techjury.
Despite all the precautions and safety measures put in place at your place of work, accidents can and do happen. The truth is; however, you can never totally minimize the risk of an accident but understanding what you can do to help your business and employee through this difficult time is a lot easier when you know what to do.
You might have had all the necessary training to prevent accidents but not how to deal with them afterward. Therefore, if you have found yourself in this situation where an employee has injured themselves, and you are unsure about what steps to take next this guide can help you to get through it.
Medical Attention
When the incident first happens, many people could find themselves going into shock, but acting quickly is vital. You will need to get a first aider to the scene to assess the situation and to see whether an ambulance will need to be called if it seems serious. The quicker you act, the quicker you can eliminate further injuries or problems for the employee.
Get a Written Statement from the Employee
After the incident has happened, and once the employee has received the necessary first aid treatment, you will need to fill out an accident and injury report to find out the facts; who was involved, where it happened and type of injury they have suffered. You will need all this and more to find out precisely what happened to ensure that it never happens again.
Try to talk to them sooner rather than later as trying to understand it early on is essential to not having any other problems further down the line, such as forgetting what happened.
Witness Statements
A good thing to follow up with is getting witness statements from other employees who might have seen what happened and could tell you how the events unfolded. You may find that if your employee is saying that it wasn’t their fault and was a result of the company’s unsafe work area, but three other members of staff are saying something different it could prove that the accident was the employees’ fault and not yours.
This could prove vitally important if it is taken to court when the employee tries to claim against you. You don’t want to find yourself in financial difficulty because someone is suing you. Remember this would affect not only your finances but also your reputation, and for your business’s future, you will want to avoid this at all costs.
Report The Accident
No matter how serious the injury your employee suffered was, it is essential that you report this accident to your insurance company which can cover you financially while you deal with being down an employee. You shouldn’t avoid filing this report as this could have repercussions on your behalf if the employee was to claim against you and it was your fault. The financial losses could be huge for you.
Assess the Levels of Safety in the Work Place
After the accident has happened and you have read the statements and deemed what exactly happened you will need to assess the levels of safety in your workplace. You might have found that despite the safety measures you put in place some time ago due to people falling back into bad habits of not being careful that the safety levels have slipped.
You will want to prevent anything else happening in the future, so it is a good idea to train up all your employees again with a refresher course and testing all your equipment to ensure that it is safe to use.
Seek Legal Help
If from the statements you take you find that it was neither yours or your employee’s fault but was a third party such as another employee or a visitor who caused them the injury, helping your employee to get legal help when dealing with a long-term injury would mean a lot to them. There are lawyers that specialize in injuries at work, and this law firm will ensure that your employee will get themselves back on their feet financially by taking away any stress that comes with it.
If they were injured by any of your equipment or a product that you have bought from elsewhere, these lawyers could also help your employee get the finances they deserve, on top of the sick pay they will be receiving from you. If this was the case, you should consider replacing the equipment and changing the products you use.
If you find out that it was your employee’s fault because they were under the influence of alcohol intoxication or drugs and they are trying to sue you, you have every right to take them to court. You will need to prove that actually, the safety measures you have in place were not at fault at all but it was the employees.
If it turns out, it was your fault, and they have filed a claim against you then you legally will have to pay them the compensation, and you look at how you can stop this from ever happening again.
Welcoming Back the Employee
The injury has probably affected the employee in more ways than you can imagine and so when they are ready to come back to work, it is important to welcome them back and ensure they are happy. Some people may find that even with a long term injury that they have to come back sooner than they wanted to for financial reasons so sit down and have a chat with them about how you can improve how they work to make it easier. If their job involves behind on their feet a lot and they have hurt their leg you could offer them a job sitting at a desk.
If this isn’t possible and they have to go back to their old job make sure they bring a doctors letter with them that proves they are fit to work; if they cause further injury and haven’t provided you with this letter, they could make a claim and you can be made responsible. Persist that they only come back to work if they have this letter.
In business, there are all kinds of different things that you need to be mindful of, and cautious about. It’s certainly the case that you need to invest your money wisely, and if you’re operating in the wrong niche, that in and of itself can be lethal.
Perhaps one of the biggest pitfalls that a new entrepreneur can fall into, however, is getting in bed with the wrong business partners, or becoming a bit too embroiled in shady dealings, alongside unscrupulous companies.
Certain businesses are likely to be a boon to you, if you work with them. A company that is focused on protecting the rights of maritime workers, and that is run ethically by an upright and reputable individual, is unlikely to cause you trouble if you happen to be in partnership with them.
Other companies, on the other hand, can ruin you by association.
Here are a few reasons to be careful about the company you keep in business.
You may get exploited and dragged down directly
The first risk that you face when doing business with an unscrupulous company, is that they exploit and drag you down directly.
It’s not unheard of for devious business partners to use fairly naïve entrepreneurs as “fall guys” for schemes that are fundamentally based on misrepresentation, and exploitation of the customer. In such cases as these, you might find yourself being contractually listed as the responsible party when things go wrong.
Other forms of exploitation are even more blatant – and involve things like the direct theft of your unsecured intellectual property.
Your reputation can be permanently tarnished by working with an unscrupulous company
In business, reputation is a big deal, and if you sink yours by associating yourself with deeply disreputable companies, it’s entirely possible – if not even likely – that you will never be able to recover, professionally.
Plenty of people find their reputations completely destroyed, not necessarily because of something they did, but because they got too close to assorted sketchy companies, and were painted with the same brush when things eventually came to a head.
Avoid this situation altogether, because trying to do damage control can be a real pain.
By being inattentive, and complacent, you may end up in a position where you compromise your own moral code
This is actually the most important point in the list, although it comes last in the article.
Plenty of companies act in ways that will violate various people’s moral codes and standards. Of course, living by a moral code, and being forthright and accountable to your own values, is perhaps the most important thing in life.
Without character, you have nothing.
Just by being inattentive, and complacent, you may end up in a position where you absentmindedly or unknowingly compromise your own moral code, by your choice of collaborator.
It’s very hard to regain self-respect if you come to find that a company you are closely working with has ruined the lives of your joint customers or clients through their immoral or reckless actions.
These days you’re likely doing a lot of business and performing your tasks online. While the Internet can be an extremely beneficial way to run your company, it also comes with its downsides.
One cause for concern is being vulnerable to hackers and those who wish to sabotage your files and business. The following ideas are going to help you learn and understand what you can be doing better at your workplace to protect your small business online. This is one subject matter you want to take seriously and attend to if you wish to keep your company free from any unfortunate situations that will be difficult to clean up later on.
Educate Yourself and Be Current
One idea for keeping your small business protected online is to educate yourself on the topic. Be current about knowing what anti-virus programs to use, what backups to perform and when and getting to know your computers better so you can make sure they’re consistently running smoothly. The more you know about IT maintenance, the less of a chance there will be that your business will fall victim to hackers and wrongdoers. You put yourself at risk for negative consequences when you choose not to learn more about online security and what you can be doing better to improve it at your workplace.
Hire Help
Another great idea is to hire help and pay for the professionals to assist you on the matter such as using a Managed IT service. The reality is there’s a lot of information in this area you’re not going to know and will need assistance with if you want to make sure your business is protected online. You likely have other pressing matters and initiatives to attend to and can’t always be in the know about what’s new in the IT world. Invest in using a third party to help you make sure you’re doing all you can to keep yourselves safe on the Internet.
Use Strong Passwords
Never underestimate the advantages of using strong passwords to protect your computers and files. Keep your small business protected online by committing to using passwords that would make it difficult for someone else to hack into your information. Create ones that are challenging and complex, but also update your current passwords often so that it makes it harder for someone else to guess it or compromise your data.
Provide Best Practices to Your Employees
It’s not only your job to make sure your business is protected online, but also that of your employees. However, they may not be aware of how important this matter is or how to go about doing so unless you inform them. Provide best practices your employees can use to make sure their laptops and files are secure. For example, educate them about not clicking suspicious looking links, following through and complying with computer updates and who to ask or turn to should they have online security questions.
Risks are part and parcel of everyday life. You might not realize you’re doing it, but you assess risks throughout your normal day. The risk of it raining and whether you need to carry an umbrella, the risk of getting caught in a traffic jam and being late for work, the risks connected with any investments you make, even the risk of being run down before you cross the street. The business world is no different.
Business risks come in many shapes and forms and can come from both internal and external sources. Externally, there are political issues, interest and exchange rates, new market competitors, and financial risks such as investments. Internal risks include workplace injuries, non-compliance, information breaches, loss of funds through theft and many other unexpected events.
To safeguard your business as much as possible, a risk management plan is vital. Many of the risks a company faces can cost your organization money or result in it closing permanently. With a risk management plan in place you’ll be better prepared for those unexpected events, and able to minimize the risk and extra costs before they happen.
What Does a Risk Management Plan Entail?
Risk management is the process of identifying risks, problems or disasters before they happen. By identifying those risks, you’re able to set up procedures and processes to either avoid the risk altogether, minimize its impact or help your business cope better. Having a risk management plan requires a realistic evaluation of the risk and a plan to deal with it.
Certain questions have to be answered as part of the risk management process. For example:
For a risk management plan to be effective, it has to have the backing of everyone in your organization, with staff knowing what their roles and responsibilities are and who is accountable. It requires the establishment of policies and procedures with resources and tools made available for the plan. Training, testing, and monitoring of the plan is also essential.
The Benefits of an Effective Risk Management Plan
There are many benefits to having a risk management plan in place. It helps to provide a safe and secure environment not only for your employees but for you, visitors and customers too. People and assets are protected from harm. Legal liability is reduced, and the stability of your operations increases. The threat of possible litigation is reduced. Your risk management plan also helps to protect the environment. When risks are reduced, there are savings in many areas of your business such as time, income, assets, property and people.
Risk Assessment Tools and Software
Thanks to technology there are a wealth of tools and software you can use to make the process easier. There are many other benefits to using RSM or Risk Management Software. To begin with, it helps you identify, manage, and reduce various risks throughout your business. It also helps protect the welfare of employees. Before software came along a company would have to use a paper-based system for assessing risks which were very time-consuming. Using software saves time but also eliminates human error and reduces risk because it utilizes risk formulas. Many aspects of the risk assessment process are streamlined saving time and manpower when compared with more traditional risk management methods.
Risk assessment software can be used across a wide range of industries and while it is very beneficial for the vast majority, there are a few instances where it has not always proved to be quite so successful. One prime example is in the area of bail reform where risk assessment software is being used to determine the pretrial release of a prisoner. You can learn more about it here.
The benefits of using risk management software, however, far outweigh any negative aspects. By systematically identifying and addressing risks, it helps to promote a risk-aware business culture. Throughout the risk cycle, the software allows you to stay organized, input new risks and monitor them regularly. Risks can be prioritized according to an assigned risk score. Throughout each stage of the risk monitoring process, it’s much easier to assign responsibility. Risk management tools also help with risk reporting, analytics and metrics.
Tips for Buying Risk Management Tools
There is a wide range of risk management tools to choose from, but that doesn’t mean they’re all going to be right for your business. The following points should help you pick the best risk management solution for your business.
When you’re new to risk management or risk management tools, it’s vital you do your due diligence research. You should make sure to read as much as you can, especially about the different types of software, talk to your peers and anyone in your network. Before you start speaking to various vendors, it’s important you identify the areas in which you think software is going to help. Don’t just look for cool features. Instead, you need to look for software that is going to assist you in the areas you’ve identified. One last tip is to read as many risk management software reviews as you can. The vendors you speak to are likely to bombard you with technical jargon and the obvious sales pitch, but user reviews cut to the point and will give you a clear picture of the pros and cons of any software.
Risks are an integral part of the business world with organizations of all sizes having to face a myriad of them in their daily operations. Risks include natural disasters, security, compliance, governance, legal, and financial. It would be impossible to avoid all risks entirely, but effective risk assessment can help identify, measure, predict and manage them appropriately. Now you appreciate the importance of risk assessment and how a risk management plan can help your business you’ll be able to weigh up what type of solution is right for your needs.
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