Agent News
CompWest Quarterly – April 2020
April 2020
Dear Partners and Friends,
I hope this finds you, your families and all your loved ones safe and healthy at this uncertain and historic moment in our lives.
While our primary concern at CompWest is for the safety and health of our staff, partners and customers, we recognize the importance of maintaining business continuity to meet not only your needs, but those of the policyholders and injured workers you’ve placed in our care.
You should have received a communication outlining our position in several key areas related to the impact COVID-19 is having on our policyholders. If not, you can find it on our website: https://www.compwestinsurance.com/our-response-to-covid-19/. We know countless scenarios will emerge as a result of this unprecedented situation, but it should provide clarity about our overall approach to navigating them. Ultimately, we will continue to do what we’ve always done…evaluate each situation on its own merits and do what we believe to be fair and reasonable while remaining mindful of the rules we’re obligated to follow.
Beyond the personal concerns and uncertainty we’re all facing at this time, we recognize many businesses will be significantly impacted as well. In part, because so many companies are ill-prepared or unable to effectively conduct business with a reduced or remote staff and the process of simply moving things forward is much harder today than yesterday.
I want to reassure you that CompWest remains fully operational. Our business model has long supported remote staff across all key functional areas in local geographies, so a high percentage of our team members reside in your local communities. For those on our team that don’t regularly work remote, they have the ability to do so for extended periods and are doing so now. Lastly, our staff whose regular responsibilities involve visiting agents or policyholders are working hard to remain in contact through other avenues, so please be sure to reach out to them as needed.
We know our ability to maintain operations and provide you what you need is a critical step in enabling you to meet your customer’s needs so they, in turn, can meet theirs. The same holds true for our policyholders and injured workers relying on us to follow through on the promise we made. We are available, we are focused and we are determined to meet all our commitments throughout this challenging time.
Thank you for your ongoing support of CompWest and your continued trust in partnering with us to serve your clients. Stay safe, be well and let us know how else we can support you.
Sincerely,
Gene Simpson
Vice President, Underwriting & Marketing
In light of the evolving situation with COVID-19, we feel it’s in the best interest of our agents and teammates to cancel our upcoming road show meetings. Your health and safety are of the utmost importance and we appreciate you understanding our decision. We are so appreciative of our partnership with you and will be providing a summarized version of the road show content we planned to share in the coming weeks. Please stay tuned for details.
If you have any questions, please contact your business development consultant.
As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak continues to spread and attract significant media and public attention, we want to provide you with assurance that, as your workers’ compensation partner, we are working diligently to ensure we are prepared to conduct business without interruption during this evolving health situation.
Helping to protect your customers is our highest priority and we have shared information with policyholders that offers this same assurance of our commitment to their business and employees. Our message encouraged business owners to carefully evaluate their business continuity plans and will also direct them to the most up-to-date resources on COVID-19 – including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.
Protecting policyholders – our shared customers – has never been more important. Thank you, as always, for your continued partnership as we work together to keep workplaces safe.
For further information, please visit our COVID-19 resource page.
As an expert in workers’ compensation, CompWest is committed to providing our customers the resources necessary to help keep their employees safe and assist them when injuries occur at work.
Our newest service, TeleCompCare®, provides injured workers quick 24/7 access to triage nurses who are trained to offer assessments, refer you to medical care when appropriate and give you a convenient option to connect with an occupational physician via live video conference over your computer, tablet or smartphone. Learn more by reviewing the TeleCompCare flyer and watching this informative video.
Did you know that in addition to classroom learning, the AF Group Agency Education team delivers an innovative curriculum focused on the foundational concepts of workers’ compensation virtually?
It’s true! The team offers an interactive approach to learning, providing insurance professionals with a unique opportunity to gain valuable insurance knowledge from anywhere, at any time. Agents have the chance to develop at their own pace through our WebCE® online courses and an extensive library of e-learnings, covering subjects from retail and manufacturing to health care, construction and more. For more information, visit our website at AFGroup.com/Education/e-Learnings.
Tips for Your Home Office
Whether you are working from home or in the office, a comfortable workspace can help you feel your best. With millions of jobs requiring work from home availability, it’s important to remember the ergonomic principles to improve the “fit” between the worker and the space.
A practical approach considers the match between the person, the equipment they use, their work processes and the work environment. A person’s capabilities, physical attributes and work habits must be recognized to improve ergonomic factors in the workplace.
Tips to keep in mind as you prepare to work from home:
- Find adequate lighting. Ensure your space has both natural and artificial light sources. Make sure lighting is not shining directly on you or your monitor.
- Improve your circulation. Set reminders to step away from your desk to stretch or take a short walk.
- Minimize storage and clutter. Clutter around your work area is not just a distraction, but a trip and fall exposure too.
- Get a full night of sleep. According to healthline.com, a good night’s rest has been linked to improved productivity and concentration and improved immune function.
- Make sure your workstation fits you. Assess your home office space to ensure that your workspace meets your needs – especially when new furniture, equipment or tasks are introduced.
For additional information, as well as more tips and tricks for home office ergonomics, review the resources below or contact your dedicated CompWest loss control representative.
Reminder: We Offer EFT on Commissions!
If you’re not already receiving your commissions via electronic funds transfer (EFT), download and submit the application form today! Email completed EFT applications to commission_inquiries@accidentfund.com, making sure the email address on your form is the appropriate address for delivering commission statements.
After submitting an application, you will receive an email confirmation that EFT setup is complete
Click here to download the EFT application form and for a list of frequently asked questions.
South Africa is a land unlike any other — remote and natural, wild and lavish. Wrap your imagination around the word “safari” — take in the sights and sounds, tastes and smells. South Africa is that and so much more. While the bush will offer trip-earners an intimate encounter with the wild, Cape Town is thriving with art, culture and cuisine, and the vineyards of the cape produce some of the finest wines in the world.
Trip-earners will experience South Africa at the Kapama Private Game Reserve – enjoyed exclusively by our group. Learn more about how you can qualify for this exciting trip by viewing our flyer and visting our website.
CompWest recently began a new partnership with Relias, a leading provider of clinical educational resources. Many of our policyholders in the health care and social services industries require clinical education so their employees can meet regulatory and compliance requirements. The Relias Learning Management System (LMS) enables policyholders to access focused learning solutions with tracking and reporting capabilities, as well as health care industry-specific trainings.
As part of this unique partnership, CW health care and social service policyholders are eligible for a discount on Relias solutions. Pleaser contact your CW loss control representative for further information.
Joe Castilone
CompWest Loss Control Consultant II
Northern California
Welcome, Joe Castilone! Joe joined our team earlier this year. He has been in the insurance industry for nine years, which includes four years in claims handling and loss control in the workers’ compensation industry. Joe has also spent time in auto, general liability, property and product liability. He has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Human Resources from Cal State University of Sacramento. Joe takes pride in building relationships with policyholders and playing a vital role in keeping their employees safe.
