During this unprecedented time in our history, we want to share an update on Emerling Agency’s preparedness and precautionary measures we are taking. Collectively and individually, all of us have had to make changes in our day-to-day lives. However, we have a dedicated team committed to servicing the needs of our customers. Emerling Agency has a plan in place for emergency situations such as this to ensure the safety of our employees and everyone in our community, especially the more vulnerable among us.

Our Commitment to our Customers

Keeping our promise of excellent customer service for our customers remains a top priority during the COVID-19 outbreak. Our staff is available to answer questions, process claims, assist with payments, provide information, and address any of your personal or commercial insurance and financial needs. Some of the measures we have taken to ensure your safety and deliver on our promise:

• Closed our physical location to the public
• Cross-trained our staff on critical functions to help minimize service interruptions or delays
• Enabled technology to ensure our staff is able to work remotely should this become necessary
• Enacted pandemic planning to account for different variable and scenarios, such as increase in call volume or closure of our building

Protecting our Employees

The health and safety of our employees is essential to our ability to continue to provide service to our customers. We have already put into place social distancing procedures in order to minimize COVID-19 exposure to our employees. This includes:

• Suspending travel-related business and attendance at large events
• Limiting in-person meetings with clients wherever possible
• Adhering to all applicable state and federal mandates relating to the COVID-19 outbreak
• Implementing enhanced workspace cleaning to help limit the spread of germs for those who are working in the office

Emerling Agency will continue to closely monitor the COVID-19 outbreak and we remain flexible to adapt quickly to all scenarios. We are dedicated to keeping you informed. If you have any questions, please call.

We remain committed to staying accessible during this crisis. While the physical office is not open to the public, our associates are working remotely to keep business operating as usual. Please know that all calls and emails will be responded to as soon as possible. 

Our Website has our agencies staff direct phone numbers, emails, as well as our carrier websites and phones numbers. We are here to help anyway we can. 

Everyone here at the Emerling Agency wanted to let you know that we share your concern over the effects COVID-19 has on your personal and professional lives. Most small businesses across the country will feel a negative impact as a result of this virus. To help, we would like to share some of the information from the insurance carriers we work with. While many have different nuances, this is a summary of some of the options that might be available to you:

Billing 

Many insurance carriers are offering deferred payment options to their insureds. Please contact us if you have any questions about your specific carrier.

General Liability and Worker’s Compensation Policies

As you know, many General Liability policies are rated based on estimated gross annual sales or gross annual payroll, while all Worker’s Compensation policies are based on gross annual payroll. If you would like to adjust your estimated exposures downward to lower your premium and/or enroll in pay-as-you-go Worker’s Compensation payment plans, please contact our office and we will assist you.

Automobile Policies

If you are looking to obtain additional cost savings, you can take a defensive driving class online. The $25 investment can provide you a 10% savings on your premiums for over 3 years. You can visit the NYS Defensive Driving site from the menu on our homepage.

HR Questions:

Below is a message we received from our HR specialists for informational purposes only. It contains important links for both employers and employees. We encourage you to reach out to your own HR professionals for further advice.

Federal Law Alert

COVID-19: April 1 Effective Date for FFCRA Leaves

On Tuesday, March 24, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced that the effective date of the leaves available through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) will be April 1, 2020.

Based on the language in the bill, the effective date was widely believed to be April 2.

The DOL announced the effective date in a “Questions and Answers” document where it also provided answers to some common questions. Other than the April 1 effective date, the information is in line with what we have been advising. The DOL also released two Fact Sheets, both of which appear to contain the same information, but it’s possible they will each be updated in the future with information that is geared more toward employees or employers.