InterWest’s Distinguished Employee: Martha Martinez Martha is a natural leader who never shies away from responsibility. She is always willing to step up and tackle problems head on, whether a difficult customer issue or a new initiative introduced by InterWest. Martha loves her job and approaches everything with an optimistic attitude and encourages others to…
The more employees are working from home, the greater the risk that their employers’ sensitive date is also being stored on their poorly secured devices and laptops. A new study by Symantec Corp. found many employees are sharing, moving and exposing sensitive company data as part of carrying out the requirements of their jobs, and…
A new survey has found that managing health care costs and expanding mental health benefits will be a top priority for U.S. employers as they ramp up benefits to compete for talent in the tight job market spawned by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, virtual care is expected to become an essential and long-lasting feature of…
Engulfment risks are some of the most overlooked hazards in agricultural operations. The most common types of engulfment hazards are in grain silos, where a worker can quickly become trapped and buried by a sudden flow of grain. But there are also a number of engulfment hazards besides grain silos. Workers can also be engulfed…
Construction firms are reeling from snowballing costs of building materials due to spiking demand and supply chain snarls that are resulting in massive budget cost overruns. This is especially affecting construction businesses that are managing apartment or commercial projects. These cost overruns are imperiling profits — and risking red ink — on the projects after…
Thank you to InterWest partner BBSI for inviting InterWest to volunteer with them at the Sacramento Food Bank on May 13th. InterWest’ s Jeff Keena, Ruth Elliott and Karen Esquibel worked side by side with more than 20 BBSI volunteers who showed up to assemble and fill 811 boxes of food to help ensure that…
InterWest’s Distinguished Employee: Liz Collodi Liz thinks on her feet. She takes appropriate action that is proactive rather than being reactive. She is flexible, confident and her calm nature makes her approachable. She has excellent relationships with staff, underwriters, and clients. Never was there a bond that Liz didn’t get to a client when they…
The IRS has announced significantly higher health savings account contribution limits for 2023, with the amount increasing more than 5% for individual HSA plans. The new limits were announced in conjunction with other changes, such as increases in the minimum deductibles and maximum out-of-pocket expenses for high-deductible health plans (HDHPs). The IRS also announced rises…
The Human Race Sonoma, organized by the Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership of Marin, is an opportunity for nonprofits to raise much needed funds to support the work they do. Making it happen on a Saturday morning are, Scott Pikey, Vic McKnight & Chet Laws (shown here with his wife Valerie) from InterWest’s Santa…
Cal/OSHA has issued new language that amends its current COVID-19 emergency temporary standard and pushes back the expiration date of the ETS until the end of the year. The extension of the ETS comes as Cal/OSHA pushes ahead on creating a permanent airborne infectious disease prevention standard for general industry, which is expected to be…