Travel Scale-Up - 50 Staff, Strong EPL Requirements

A growing travel business with around 50 employees came to us needing a comprehensive Management Liability policy. As a scale-up in a competitive industry, they were adding staff quickly and their primary concern was Employment Practices Liability (EPL) exposure.

The business had reached a size where employment-related claims were a real and growing risk. With around 50 staff across multiple roles, they faced the kinds of exposure that scale-ups commonly encounter: unfair dismissal allegations, discrimination claims, and disputes arising from the fast-paced nature of building a team quickly.

They needed a policy that went beyond basic D&O cover and provided meaningful protection for the employment-related risks that come with rapid growth.

We started by understanding their specific risk profile in detail:

• Workforce analysis: Number of employees, contractor arrangements, and projected headcount growth over the next 12 months
• HR processes: Whether they had formal employment contracts, performance management procedures, and termination processes in place
• Claims history: Any previous employee disputes, Fair Work Commission applications, or complaints
• Growth trajectory: Their hiring plans and whether they were expanding into new states or territories

With this information, we prepared a detailed submission and approached insurers who specialise in Management Liability for growth-stage businesses. The focus was on finding a policy with strong EPL limits and broad coverage for the types of employment-related claims that scale-ups commonly face.

The main challenge was the rapid growth itself. Insurers view fast-growing businesses with some caution when it comes to EPL. More employees means more potential claimants, and businesses in growth mode don't always have mature HR processes in place.

We needed to present the client's growth as a positive rather than a red flag. That meant demonstrating they had appropriate HR frameworks in place and were proactively managing their employment risk rather than ignoring it.

The travel industry also has its own dynamics. Seasonal hiring, commission-based roles, and the pressure of customer-facing work can all contribute to employment disputes. We needed an insurer who understood these industry-specific factors.

The policy provides robust protection across the full Management Liability spectrum - D&O, EPL, statutory liability, and company reimbursement. The EPL limits were specifically structured to reflect the size of their workforce and their growth plans.

The client now has confidence that their directors and the business are protected as they continue to add staff. They've continued to grow since placement and we've managed their renewals as their team has expanded.