Is your office thinking about letting the dogs in, and become pet-friendly? If so, you’re not alone. About seven percent of American businesses let employees bring their pets to work, a considerable increase from even a few years ago. Many employers believe a pet-friendly workplace improves an office; they have noted improved morale and collaboration among employees after establishing a pets-at-work-policy. Several studies have also indicated that pet-friendly office policies help to attract talented millennials, an age group that tends to be pet-oriented.

This month's employee spotlight is Lupe Erwin, from our personal lines group. We think she could be a finalist for having one of the most unusual jobs while in school. Read more about Lupe and the unusual job.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has added a new statement to its website to communicate that they are not accepting electronic submissions of 300 logs at this time, and intends to propose extending the July 1, 2017 deadline.

What if disaster strikes and you need to leave your home in a hurry; will you be ready?  In WGB’s thirty years of shielding our customers from risk, we know there is one rule when it comes to disasters: no one is immune to the unexpected.

Thousands of people recently had to flee their homes in the wake of wildfires in California. Millions of people in Puerto Rico and the southern United States endured days, weeks, even months without electricity or running water after powerful hurricanes hit. Brutal east coast winter storms recently knocked power out for days as well, forcing residents to seek shelter elsewhere. Are you prepared to leave your home on a moment’s notice if one of these incidents occurs where you live?

Starting this year we wanted to share a little about some of our team members with a monthly employee spotlight. So to kickoff -- meet Debbie Rogister! Unfortunately, she will be leaving the WGB family in the next month or two to start some new adventures in retirement. As you can see in the photo, she has travel plans in her future. So, before she leaves we wanted to ask her a few questions to learn a little more about her.

Operating a motor vehicle safely requires concentration, focus, and awareness of constantly changing surroundings. Electronic devices such as cell phones and tablets can take your focus away from the road and increase the risk of accidents. On average, a driver is four times more likely to be in an accident when using an electronic device.

OSHA is launching the  Injury Tracking Application on August 1, 2017 to help employers who are affected by OSHA's rule requiring electronic submission of injury and illness data. The online form allows employers to electronically submit required data from their completed 2016 OSHA Form 300A. OSHA has extended the deadline for submitting 2016 Form 300A to December 1, 2017. All affected entities have enough time to familiarize themselves with the electronic reporting system and to give the new administration an opportunity to review the electronic reporting requirements before they are implemented.