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We’re clocking in more hours at work more than ever before, thanks to technological advances such as smartphones and remote email.

In fact according to Gallup’s most recent annual Work and Education Survey, adults employed full time in the U.S. report working an average of 47 hours per week, almost a full workday longer than a standard five-day, 9-to-5 work week.

But some thought leaders don’t like where we’re headed – and they’re prepared to take measures to protect employees from working around the clock.

German Minister for Labour Andrea Nahles has confirmed that the country is considering bringing in new laws that will make it illegal to email colleagues after 6 p.m.

Her department has conducted research, which found “an undeniable relationship between constant availability and the increase of mental illness,” Nahles said.

New legislation limiting worker’s access to their emails outside office hours could come into force as early as 2016.… read more > “Legislation would ban after-work emails”

The holiday cyber-attack against Target may have been a nightmare for the retailer, but it was a dream come true for insurance industry professionals. After pitching the value of cyber liability insurance for years, businesses large and small began to heed the call of carriers and producers to get covered.

The high-profile hack was, according to Randy Maniloff of industry law firm White & Williams, “the equivalent of 10 free Super Bowl ads” for insurers and agents.

And now businesses across all industry sectors are starting to scoop up cyber liability insurance. A benchmarking report from Marsh Global Analytics revealed the number of cyber liability clients increased across all sectors by an average 21% last year.

“All industries are growth markets now,” said Michael Palotay, vice president of NAS Insurance in Encino, Calif. “We have gone from something like 20% of insureds buying cyber a couple of years ago to closer to 40% today—and these are insureds with an obvious exposure.… read more > “InFocus: The 6 hottest cyber markets in 2014”

During the month of October, Insurance Business America’s Next Generation series will focus on technological advances changing the shape of the industry’s future.

The advent of technology in the insurance space has long been feared as a major disturber of the traditional agent/broker model. However, a new study from Swiss Re concludes that while technological advancements mean agents and brokers will need to adjust their business models, it will not send them lining up at the unemployment office.

The study, “Digital Distribution in Insurance: A Quiet Revolution,” examines expansions in big data, sales, marketing and distribution strategies in multiple countries.  Kurt Karl, chief economist with Swiss Re, said that while the number of policies sold online is still small, it represents a significant shift in consumer behavior.

“A quiet revolution is underway,” Karl said. “The statistics on e-commerce insurance mask the profound impact new technologies are having on the distribution process.”… read more > “Next Generation: The “quiet revolution” in insurance distribution that’s affecting producers”

During the month of October, Insurance Business America’s Next Generation series will focus on technological advances changing the shape of the industry’s future.

The advent of technology in the insurance space has long been feared as a major disturber of the traditional agent/broker model. However, a new study from Swiss Re concludes that while technological advancements mean agents and brokers will need to adjust their business models, it will not send them lining up at the unemployment office.

The study, “Digital Distribution in Insurance: A Quiet Revolution,” examines expansions in big data, sales, marketing and distribution strategies in multiple countries.  Kurt Karl, chief economist with Swiss Re, said that while the number of policies sold online is still small, it represents a significant shift in consumer behavior.

“A quiet revolution is underway,” Karl said. “The statistics on e-commerce insurance mask the profound impact new technologies are having on the distribution process.”… read more > “Next Generation: The "quiet revolution" in insurance distribution that's affecting producers”

Thirty-three percent of survey respondents have admitted they are considering getting out of the health insurance business entirely because of Obamacare.

“I think the time of the independent agent may be coming to an end,” one of the respondents told McKinsey.

“I think there is going to be an exodus of agents over the next 5 years,” said another to the surveyors. “Folks will slowly retire or partner with larger firms.”

To add insult to injury, twenty-nine percent of independent insurance brokers claim their businesses have been hindered by Obamacare, according to a recent survey conducted by McKinsey & Co.

The survey was comprised of responses from over 1,000 independent brokers during Obamacare’s first ‘open enrollment’ period from October 2013 to April 2014.

An additional twenty-three percent of respondents said they are particularly worried about ‘premium stability’ for customers, while another sixteen percent mentioned issues relating to the long-term financial health or ‘sustainability’ of Obamacare.… read more > “Obamacare to cause insurance exodus?”