Every business in every industry has certain regulatory compliance requirements, whether company-centered or industry-specific rules and regulations. Having the right compliance training strategy is key because non-compliance can cost companies billions.
Even better, the right compliance training strategy can be a business driver: 3 in 4 companies which practice continuous compliance report their compliance training program is a business driver.
If you’re not sure where to start developing a compliant company culture and work environment, we’ve compiled a guide to develop a strong culture of compliance with the right strategy.
In this article, we’ll go over:
- What is a compliance training strategy?
- Steps for developing the ideal compliance training strategy, and
- A Case Study involving the right tools combined with an effective compliance strategy.
What is a compliance training strategy?
A compliance training strategy entails providing employees and even customers (if your product or service requires it) training on applicable regulations, laws, and company policies.
With the help of an effective compliance training strategy, you can ensure your employees work to maintain compliant business operations and workplace safety.
That said, every program will be different based on the needs of the company, its industry, and local, state, or federal laws and regulations.
So developing the ideal strategy should be based on your needs and certain best practices.
Here are some steps to get you started on establishing an effective compliance training strategy.
Steps for developing the ideal compliance training strategy
1. Set specific goals for your business to achieve
The first step is to determine exactly what initiatives and training materials your business needs for compliance training.
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Why are you developing your strategy, and how can it improve employee engagement and the company as a whole?
The answers to these questions should help you maximize your compliance training effectiveness.
You can take some time to meet with relevant staff to determine what kinds of training topics you'll need to cover to meet your goals.
For example, you may want to gauge your employees' current knowledge about specific areas.
What does your organization need the most training for? What are some weak areas in your current program?
Answering these and other questions will help with goal-setting and plan development.
2. Develop a clear compliance training plan
Once you determine what your company needs to establish a compliance training strategy, you can begin putting together a clear plan.
The compliance topics your plan covers can vary greatly, but there are some benchmarks:
- Cybersecurity and data protection
- Diversity training
- Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) requirements
- Anti-harassment training (including sexual harassment)
- Safety training
- Corporate compliance
Something to keep in mind is that a compliance program should be proactive rather than reactive.
Ensure your program allows you to avoid potential compliance issues by understanding the importance of compliance and maintaining a healthy work environment for all employees.
3. Collect ample resources for training sessions
After developing a basic compliance training strategy, you must collect and develop the right materials to create the best learning experience for employees.
Using digital tools like learning management software (LMS), you might use the following training materials,
| Videos and manuals | Give relevant information in an easy-to-consume format |
| Quizzes and other interactive materials | Implement gamification in your training |
| Case studies | Give real-world examples of compliance strategies that worked |
| Images, charts, and other graphics | Illustrate information in a digestible visual form |
| Microlearning experiences | Provide bit-sized information in an engaging manner |
4. Budget your compliance training program accordingly
You must also ensure you have plenty of funds in place for your compliance learning and development program.
For example, the law could change, federal requirements might update, or even your company policies.
You'll want to account for all of these and keep your budget flexible, making it easier to adapt.
5. Update your compliance training strategy as needed
As mentioned in the point above, things could change, so it’s important to maintain a level of flexibility.
In addition, you might find that there are more effective training materials you'll want to utilize.
An engaged learner base results in higher compliance completion rates.
You could also find that you need to shift your program's focus after identifying certain blindspots among your employees, which you may not have previously noticed.
In any case, you'll want to be able to make quick and necessary changes as soon as you need to make them.
This is where measuring the progress of your compliance training strategy matters, but more on this later!
6. Engage in effective communication
Everyone within the organization should be on the same page when it comes to compliance. Make sure your employees know what compliance looks like, how they can achieve and maintain it, and the value it brings to their work and even their personal lives.
In the process of communicating the importance of compliance, celebrate your employees' victories and reward them for their efforts. In doing so, you'll show that you value your employees just as much as they value a compliant company culture.
One way to do so is through gamification. Points, badges and certificates go a long way in keeping your learners motivated!
You might also want to consider having staff dedicated to communicating compliance programs to employees and learning what employees need and expect.
7. Use the right technology to help you implement the compliance training strategy
Today's training tech can make it easier than ever to integrate a successful training program.
For instance, you could leverage eLearning materials that enable learners to learn anything, anytime, anywhere. This capability is particularly crucial for remote workforces who won't be available for in-person training or live sessions.
One tool that can really transform your training program is a comprehensive LMS, or learning platform.
Generally, if you want to use informal education to its full effectiveness, an LMS can be the key, with custom training materials and solutions that make training more effective and efficient.
Today’s powerful LMS and learning platforms come equipped with more than digital training content, modules, assessments, and other materials to give employees the training they need.
They also have AI functionalities, plenty of integrations to consolidate your tech stack, and robust reporting and analytics capabilities to help you generate content faster (flexibility, anyone?) and keep track of your progress so you can continue leading strategically.
8. Measure the results of your strategy with valuable insights
Using certain analytics tools and insights, you can gauge the overall effectiveness of your compliance training strategy.
You could discover that certain areas of training are insufficient, or you might find that a level of miscommunication is occurring at some point during the training process.
To find that data gold, you must first determine key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics that are important to your compliance training strategy.
Here are some KPIsthat could help you measure your efforts:
- The number of reported instances of non-compliance issues, including policy and code violations
- The number of times policies and codes change, along with their frequency of change
- Completion rates
- Training reach
- Knowledge assessments and surveys
- Post-training test results
- The rate of training program updates
Based on these and other KPIs, you can better determine how well your training program is performing and make any necessary updates to maximize compliance.
Also, set specific goals for these KPIs, which will help you plan strategically.
Be sure to conduct surveys, follow-ups, and interviews with key individuals to further assess your strategy.
Over time, these measures will allow you to update your training strategy to get the best possible results and ensure you stay compliant.
9. Consolidate training to save time
While your employees should take time to learn, this time shouldn't detract from their work and productivity.
Try to blend materials when they can cover multiple topics more efficiently without compromising the quality of training.
For instance, you could develop an efficient module that covers different types of harassment, including sexual and non-sexual harassment. You could also have modules that cover other connected topics to streamline training, saving time while teaching the essentials.
The right training tech, including a robust LMS or learning platform can help streamline these efforts.
Now over to you: Develop an effective compliance training strategy with the right tools
Taking the above steps will help you get the most from a training program when working to maintain compliance.
You'll want to use the most effective tools available to benefit from a reliable compliance training strategy.
This is what Definity, a family of innovative property and casualty insurance companies, was looking for when they trusted Docebo with its compliance training programs.
Prior to Docebo, fewer than 1% of their learners were engaging with their compliance training content, and it took them 10 months to achieve their annual compliance training targets.
With Docebo’s AI-powered learning platform, user adoption went from 1% to over 65%, and most importantly, they were able to cut down total compliance achievement from 10 months to less than two months.
Want to learn more? Take a tour and see why Docebo is the learning platform of choice for over 3,800 companies worldwide.