[A must-know for HR/Employers] Is there a digital solution for employees' insurance plans? How is it different from the traditional ones?

No matter what type of industry you are in, it is mandatory to get your employees insured (with the Employees' Compensation Insurance, ECI). If you are not sure about the details, you can click here to learn more. Aside from the compliance issues, do you understand the coverage of this insurance? Do you know that you can now apply online, in addition to the traditional insurance brokerage? This time, Reap has prepared a series of analyses for you to better understand the difference between traditional and digital employees' compensation insurance.

What is ECI?

ECI-Employees' Compensation Insurance, also known as labour insurance, is a statutory requirement for all employers in the Hong Kong S.A.R. It is an insurance policy that covers an employer's liability in the event of injury or illness to its employees while at work. The insurance can cover full-time, part-time employees, contractors, subcontractors and/or freelancers in a wide range of industries. ECI protects the employer's ability to meet its obligations to settle compensation payments in the event of an injury, or even death, arising out of a work-related accident or an occupational disease as specified in the Employees' Compensation Ordinance.

ECI VS Digital ECI (DECI)

	ECI	DECI
How to Apply	Extensive paperwork, emails or phone calls	Completely online
Approval Time	More than 3 business days	5 minutes (subject to terms)
Steps	Fill out the application form Employer’s claims history OSH (Occupational Safety and Health) and risk management measures taken by the employer Accident rate and risk exposure of the industry or profession concerned Market conditions (e.g., market trends, economic outlook or social factors, etc.) Insurance company's underwriting policy, operating costs, risk management status, etc. Request quotes from insurance companies through brokers Wait a few working days Confirm that the required documents have been submitted Pay by cheque/cash/bank transfer	Register with Reap for free Click on "Employees' Compensation" on the home page and start the application process Request a quote immediately Pay with your credit card
Required Documents	Requirement varies from company to company	HKID card of employer/director of the company Company Registration Number Annual wage roll Aggregate value of the insured properties (up to a max of 3 properties) Credit card for payment
Payment Methods	Cheque, cash, bank transfer	Credit card

How should we make an informed decision by different industries?

Retail

Due to the wide variety of retail sales in Hong Kong, insurance companies in general set different ECI premium rates according to the actual type of products sold/workplace/sales staff’s scope of work. However, as the retail industry is after all non-deskbound in nature and involves intensive and various manual labour in retail stores, the premium rates are higher. As mentioned above, if you can consider DECI, the application process can be dramatically simplified.

Computer and information-related services (clerical jobs only)

Compared to other manual labour industries that are prone to sudden occupation injuries, employees in computer/IT-related jobs are more likely to suffer occupational strain injuries/occupational overuse syndromes due to prolonged poor posture, and different insurance companies therefore set different levels of premium rates. For traditional ECI, it may take a long time for the insurance company to determine the risk manually, whereas DECI can rely on the system to obtain a quote in real time.

Trade/Transportation/Logistics

Traffic congestion is deteriorating in Hong Kong, most notably due to the increasingly intense competition in the use of road space by the ever-growing vehicle fleet. Moreover, the fact that logistics warehouses require more manual labour, employees in the logistics and transportation industry generally face higher risks compared to other industries. Therefore, their premium rates are on average higher than those of the catering industry, and many existing insurance companies are already getting somewhat reluctant to issue quotes to trade/transport/logistics companies. If employers in these industries want to know immediately whether their ECI applications are eligible, they can consider DECI for instant processing, instead of spending 3 business days or more waiting for a time-consuming and potentially futile approval.

What is DECI?

DECI is offered by FWD General Insurance Co. Ltd. (FWD), represented by AMTD Risk Solutions Group Ltd (AMTD), and is only available on the Reap website. It aims to simplify the insurance process by providing a fast, simple and reliable insurance solution online, enabling SMEs and employers to sign up for ECI in a reliable and efficient manner.

Conclusion

As a business owner, it is essential to insure each and every one of our employees for their benefits. While the original intention remains the same, we can consider a simpler and quicker way to simplify the past insurance process so that we can be more efficient in our operations while providing the same level of care to our employees. If you too need a simple and convenient way to enroll, you can learn more at the Reap website.