For fans of vintage NBA matchups, this year's final between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers was a welcome treat. Whether cheering for K.G. or Kobe, some people have such a basketball jones that they want to dribble in their spare time at work. The idea sounds safe: To help employees relax and stay fit, erect a basketball stanchion with hoop on company property.

A closer look, however, reveals that this seemingly innocuous perk may need a timeout. Should a risk manager allow a basketball hoop on the premises for employees to use on breaks or in their spare time? The issue carries many risk management implications.

When faced with the basketball issue at multiple locations, one risk manager reluctantly agreed to allow hoops, with his regional vice president's approval and with the understanding that the latter's profit and loss statement would absorb any claims. Corporate counsel also drafted a release to be signed by any basketball-playing employee. The risk manager realized that that the release was likely unenforceable but functioned instead merely as a claim deterrent. He also posted signs instructing employees to use the basketball equipment at their own “risk and peril.”

Recommended For You

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader

Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:

  • Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© Touchpoint Markets, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more inforrmation visit Asset & Logo Licensing.