As the weather heats up, work on-site can start to ease. With a number of public holidays and the potential for ‘downsite’ in extreme weather, now is an ideal time to check up on your insurance to make sure you’re covered for a worry-free holiday.

At Austbrokers Canberra, we wanted to share with you some of the main things to consider for your business before the holiday season really kicks in.

1. Unattended sites

Offices, factories, truck and car storage yards and construction sites all have an enormous value to your business. The down period over the summer may see fewer people on site, putting a greater risk of theft and vandalism to your valuable goods. It may be helpful to speak to your Austbrokers Canberra broker of your plans for staffing and security measures throughout this period, to ensure you have sufficient coverage to manage this risk.

2. Difference or change in activities

Throughout the holiday period, the way business occurs often changes. You may experience more home visits, site inspections pre-tools down, staff working remotely or taking early leave. All these present a change in ‘business as usual’. If your business is adapting to the market to deliver services through this period, ensuring your insurance is adequate for remote work and travel in and out of fleet vehicles is essential.

3. Greater risk of weather events

As Australians, we are unfortunate enough to know that bushfire season can have a real and devastating effect on the lives of many. Weather events don’t discriminate—cities and towns are just as easily affected by major weather events as rural areas. As the risk of these events increases, it’s important you check in with the Austbrokers Canberra team to make sure your fleet, sites, offices and staff are appropriately insured for these often horrific and shocking events. You may want to ask your broker about business interruption insurance and downtime protections.

4. Protecting your cyber assets

Whether or not you employ a digital manager, or outsource your website management, a cyber-attack can leave your business grappling to restore its website, databases, cloud storage and online payment systems. The wind-down period over the summer is highly attractive to those seeking to steal or hold ransom your valuable information.

The loss of trust a business suffers as a result of a data breach from its valuable clientele can be an enormous challenge to overcome, especially for those who have not experienced digital attacks before. If you haven’t already, it’s important you discuss your cyber insurance options with your broker to make sure your coverage will protect your business from excessive loss or damage, and help you get your business back on its feet as soon as possible, should you fall prey to hackers.

5. Change in attitude

We know all businesses employ people they trust and respect to do a good job. The warmer weather can lead to harder days, the need for more rest breaks on-site and harder conditions generally.

In the office, planning leave and staff coverage over the break can distract your HR department and the office managers may be busy ensuring parties are planned, bonuses are assessed and paid, and everyone is set-up to take a break. There is often a wind-up before a wind-down. The lead up to a holiday provides a change in dynamic on any worksite and this is a real reason to make sure you have a conversation with Austbrokers Canberra about your plans for the summer, the changes to your business that may occur, even if only temporarily and the areas most effected by staff on leave.

Most importantly, staying in-touch with your Austbrokers Canberra broker about your business structures and holiday plans is the best way you have your business work for you, while you take some much-deserved time off.