Happy Wednesday! In today's Big I Buzz, we are discussing how highly digital agencies grow faster than their competition, new OSHA regulations and the Wisconsin Supreme Court's new ruling on capacity limits.

Study: Highly Digital Agencies Grow 60% Faster than the Competition

According to NU Property Casualty 360, "A recent survey of 600 U.S.-based independent agents from Liberty Mutual and Safeco Insurance sought to understand how independent agencies are evolving to meet new expectations. The results, published in the "Rise of the Digital Insurance Agency" report found that digitally-saavy agencies grow an average of 60% more than their less digital counterparts."

The study also found that 44% of high digital adopters experience annual revenue growth of more than 10% compared to just 29% of low digital adopters that also experienced revenue growth. 

The report noted that agents are finding value in digital marketing, which added that more than 80% of high digital adopters plan to increase their digital marketing efforts within the next year. 

If you're looking to also increase your digital marketing efforts, check out the IIAW's Digital Marketing Playbook to get some insight into how to get started with digital marketing!

OSHA Prepares to Issue Emergency Regulations to Protect Workers from COVID-19

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is preparing to issue new short-term regulations to protect workers from catching COVID-19 on the job, according to lawyers tracking the agency's efforts. The Biden administration appears poised to reinstate masking, as some states are removing their mask mandates. According to Insurance Journal, "Most private-sector employers in the U.S. must follow rules for workplace safety set either by OSHA or by state-run versions of the agency. OSHA and its state counterparts have received over 60,000 complaints about COVID-19 safety issues, according to the agency." During the Trump administration, OSHA did not release virus-specific safety regulations so instead, a handful of states established their own temporary standards. "Employers with jobs that are medium or higher risk must follow specific policies to ensure social distancing and clean air. They must also develop written plans for how they'll respond to an infections disease outbreak and provide training to employees on COVID-19. The question now is what the details of the federal version of this will look like. Vance and Conn anticipate a stringent face-covering requirement, particularily indoors." Read more here.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Says Governor Can't Limit Capacity

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has now ruled that Gov. Tony Evers' administration does not have the authority to issue capacity limits on bars, restaurants and other businesses without approval of the Legislature. The 4-3 decision was issued Wednesday in Tavern League of Wisconsin v. Andrea Palm and Wisconsin Department of Health Services. It upholds a ruling from the Court of Appeals in favor of the Tavern League. According to the Tavern League, DHS did not follow proper rulemaking procedures and obtained an injunction against the emergency order." Read the full decision here. 

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