Compliance training is important for every organisation. The benefits of compliance training are huge, but how do you get started? If your goal is to create a successful compliance program, then there are essential elements that must be included in the program.
These include:
– an overview of the company’s regulatory environment:
– identification of compliance risks and controls
– management commitment to comply with laws and regulations
– clarity about the roles and responsibilities of employees
– communicating compliance requirements to all stakeholders
– training for supervisors on their role in making sure that processes are followed by their subordinates, including ensuring that they understand how to report noncompliance issues.
Also included is an overview of legal consequences related to compliance violations because these can act as a deterrent for employees from engaging in noncompliant behaviours. This is especially important as it provides an overview of what might happen if they do not follow the compliance process and focuses on ethical rather than legal consequences
– tracking, monitoring and enforcement
– periodically reviewing training procedures to ensure that employees are complying with requirements. It’s also important to make sure that employees are engaged in the training process and understand why compliance is important.
This can be achieved by including a questionnaire as part of your employee survey to determine if they feel like their company makes an effort to ensure compliance, or whether “it’s just something we do because it’s always been done”. Additionally, managers should regularly conduct interviews with employees as a way to monitor their compliance knowledge and ensure that they are committed to following the company’s compliance procedures.
Including these elements in your program will help create a culture of compliance within your organisation, which can have significant benefits for everyone involved.
It’s critical to keep up with the latest and most relevant information to prevent any major problems in the future.
Compliance training’s major goals are to:
- Ensure that staff are aware of their compliance responsibilities
- Reduce risk
- Remove legal liability from the organisation in the event of malpractice
- Protect the organisation’s reputation
- Encourage a better workplace culture
Internal regulations and external legislation should all be addressed in your company’s compliance training. You should also do a risk assessment to determine which areas of the business pose the greatest danger, allowing you to focus your resources where they’re most needed and establish appropriate and sensible control measures.
After you’ve identified the high-risk sections of your business, you can focus on the other areas that must be addressed in order to maintain compliance such as:
- Anti-harassment and discrimination
- Customer service standards
- Workplace violence
- Workplace safety
- Diversity
- Conflicts of interest
- Fair disclosure
- Bribery
- Reporting violations
It’s also critical to cover Health & Safety training so you can minimize any dangers and ensure your workers are safe and knowledgeable.
Points covered here could include:
- Employer contact information
- Employer and employee rights and responsibilities
- Sickness policies
- Evacuation processes
- First aid and reporting accidents
- Workplace hazards
Humans are programmed to repeat behaviors that they have learnt. As a result, when you instruct your staff about the significance of following established procedures and what may happen if they don’t, you improve the chances of them doing so in the future.
Individuals who believe their business cares about compliance are far less likely to intentionally engage in illegal actions, such as making false claims.
At the end of the day, a successful compliance program aids your staff in understanding their responsibilities and obligations. It also ensures that they are aware of the risks involved with noncompliance so they can comply.
Employee surveys are a powerful method for assessing the performance of your compliance program and determining whether employees truly understand what it takes to ensure they follow the rules. The objective of these questionnaires is to provide you with data so that you may modify your approach based on their feedback.
Because employee feedback may be obtained at any time during the year, there are no restrictions on when you can schedule your survey. As a result, not only will you get a more complete picture of things, but you’ll also be able to ensure that everyone is in agreement with what it takes to comply with rules and why noncompliance has severe repercussions for the business.
These surveys should be designed to:
Assess employees’ understanding of their compliance responsibilities and obligations
Assist you with creating training content that will help them with the knowledge they’ll need to comply with rules in the future
Help managers identify any areas where improvements can be made with regards to compliance management and set appropriate risk-management goals.
Employees are likely to go through some form of training every year, even if it’s only for a few hours. A compliance training program can be incorporated into other education processes with little effort on your part, which will help you accomplish more in the time available thanks to fewer resources being required.
The most significant benefit of using your existing internal training programs for compliance purposes is that you will already have the infrastructure in place. You’ll also be able to tailor your program to suit specific needs, thanks to it being an extension of the existing program.
Some things you may want to include are:
Awareness training about what constitutes noncompliance and how it can affect the business
Information about how employees can report incidents of noncompliance within the business and ensure that the information is treated in a confidential manner.
Testing to make sure compliance procedures are being followed before risky or expensive tasks are carried out
Training on reporting requirements, such as requirements to submit requests for government contracts publicly via online portals
Discussion related to compliance-relevant risks and how employees can help manage them
Compliance training doesn’t have to take a lot of time – you could simply revise existing materials or create short, interactive modules.
Employees will be more committed to your organization if they feel as though the service it provides is valuable, so an effective compliance program can contribute a great deal towards this.
Implicit in this is that they will be more committed to you as a manager if they understand how compliance programs benefit the business. They’ll also have a better understanding of what it means to comply with rules, so they can help manage risks and protect the company.
You’ll be able to create a culture where employees feel as though noncompliance is bad for everyone if you actively encourage them to report noncompliance as soon as they become aware of it. The key to doing this successfully is through the creation of an open and communicative culture where employees understand that transparency will be rewarded, both in terms of how their relationships with managers and within their team will function, and the financial rewards they can expect to receive.
Of course, this is a lot easier said than done – but the benefits of seeing it through will be more than worth your while.
In order to create an environment of openness, ensure that leadership has been properly trained so they can respond to every instance where noncompliance is reported appropriately and effectively, as well as address any issues that arise directly.
You can add value to your compliance program by using it as a tool to foster better relationships with employees and managers, while at the same time increase productivity and efficiency across the board. Even if you already have an effective compliance program in place, there are some easy changes you can make that will help boost these benefits and generate more value out of your existing efforts.
Tasked with ensuring compliance is upheld at your company? Here’s how you can use training to boost your program’s effectiveness and its benefits for employees, managers, and the business as a whole:
Identify any areas where improvements can be made with regards to compliance management and set appropriate risk-management strategies in place to help minimize any negative impacts on employees.
Be clear about the specific requirements of your compliance program, and what will be expected from employees in terms of following them. Make sure that leadership is fully aware of these requirements.
Ensure that managers are properly trained to identify instances where noncompliance may be present or could occur, both within their team and throughout the business as a whole, before problems arise.
Make employees aware of reporting procedures so they know how to send requests for help up the chain or which forms should be used to provide information about noncompliance issues they may become aware of.
Always listen carefully when employees come forward with information about issues related to compliance. Even if you think the issue is minor, make sure to address it as soon as possible – if employees see that you’re willing to take action, they’ll be more likely to follow your example and report issues themselves.
Manage risks associated with compliance by creating a risk-management plan for employees to follow whenever a problem related to noncompliance comes up.
Inform employees about the costs of noncompliance, and how it affects the business as a whole. Creating an open culture where information is shared freely can help promote a sense of ownership among team members, making them feel valued and contributing to a more productive atmosphere. You may also be able to recruit new talent by using this approach – if you’re able to show potential new hires that you’re committed to transparency and openness, they may be more likely to want to work for your company.
The right kind of training can help you boost the benefits of your compliance program across the board. If done properly, it can also contribute to a positive culture where employees feel as though compliance is important to the business, and are more likely to report violations. If employees feel that compliance is valuable to the business, they’ll be more likely to contribute positively towards achieving it.
There are several ways that you can use training as a tool to benefit your business: by creating a sense of transparency and openness within your company, as well as increasing employee engagement and building a better rapport with managers.
In order to successfully manage the risks associated with compliance, you have to be sure that training is done properly and kept up-to-date so it remains relevant. This will help ensure that leadership has been properly trained so they can respond to every instance where noncompliance is reported appropriately and effectively, as well as minimize the risk of any possible penalties or negative impacts on your business.
While it’s important to be aware of your obligations related to compliance, you should also keep in mind how smart training can help boost compliance benefits throughout your organization. It will contribute towards creating a more open culture that encourages employees to adopt an attitude that’s focused on continuous improvement and overall compliance.
