Ed. Note-today we have a guest post from noted ethics and compliance expert, as well as steel guitar player, Chris Bauer.
Okay, you know that you need to have effective compliance training but do you really know what will actually make it effective? The reality is that far too many compliance training program fail on multiple counts. With compliance as critical as it is, that is unacceptable. Thankfully, there are a few areas which, if attended to well, can correct many of the most-frequently seen problems with the development and execution of these programs.
Here are five of the areas I see getting missed time after time in compliance training programs.
Do you actually have a solid, working definition of what compliance is? I see ethics, compliance, and accountability as being ‘cross-defined’ all the time. Do they inter-relate? Absolutely and it’s even a great idea to inter-relate them in your training. However, until you are clear about what you mean by all three of those terms, your training will leave employees confused and confusion is never good for compliance training…
To Do – Find or create definitions for all three of these terms that are clear, concise and, above all, practical. The moment these terms become hazy or academic you have already lost too many of your employees’ ability to build your ideas into their minute-to-minute, day-to-day practices. Also, be sure to use language that fits the culture of your organization. Just because something sounds good in another organization – or another part of your organization – doesn’t mean that it will work for anyone, let alone everyone, in every corner of your company. This is one of the many reasons that ‘one size fits all’ training is rarely effective. Different parts of your organization are likely to need things said and demonstrated in different ways. You have the choice; you can whine about the inconvenience of that or go about creating a great compliance training program.
Is your training practical? An awful lot of compliance training is little more than a coma-inducing parade of Powerpoint slides with the rules, regulations, and, perhaps, a few key updates. Is that information critical? Perhaps so. However, for starters be sure that the information really is critical before overwhelming employees with so much information that they can’t actually retain it.
To Do – Always build in opportunities for employees to ask how your training really applies to what they do on the job. If they can’t fully see the behaviors in which they are and are not to engage – or if they don’t believe those behaviors are possible in their circumstances – your training has missed the mark. Also, remember that employees are unlikely to tell you spontaneously that they don’t think they can do what you’re asking of them. Be active in seeking out feedback on not only their level of understanding of the material but, as importantly, their confidence that they can do what you’re asking of them. If they don’t think they can do it, it is your job to help them figure out how to deal with any roadblocks – real or perceived – they might see.
Are you simply transferring information or are you providing employees with solid ideas and tools to put the rules and regulations into practice? If you want a culture where compliance is topmost in your employees’ minds, they had better be able to first mentally retain and then apply the mandated rules and regulations. If you aren’t helping them apply what you’re telling them, it will have been an entirely academic exercise.
To Do – Here again, everything you train on needs to have clear, ‘do-able’ behaviors attached. Employees have to know exactly what they need to be doing to bring your compliance program to life. It’s not enough for you to believe that they ought to be able to figure it out; they really need to know and they need to hear it from you. (Mind you, they may also have ideas you haven’t thought of yet. Great! Just don’t pretend it isn’t your job to help them figure it out.)
Are you creating information overload? True, there’s a lot out there that your employees will need to know about compliance. However, are you giving so much in each sitting that it simply can’t be retained? Again, if they can’t retain the information – or, at least, find it easily – they certainly can’t put it into practice. Consider providing training in smaller, on-going chunks. Less time-efficient? Maybe. However, that will more than pay off in having your employees actually recall and apply what they’ve been trained on.
To Do – Remember that smaller chunks of information ‘stick’ better. Further, information that clearly has practical applications does the same. Work to avoid simply smothering employees with regulatory and oversight information. Make it real for them by providing it in digestible, easily recalled, practical chunks. Here again, whine if you like about this being inconvenient but the facts remain; you need to attend to this if you really want your compliance training to be effective.
Are you making compliance a tool for your employees’ personal success? I see a lot of organizations doing a fine job of conveying to employees how their bottom line can be wildly, adversely affected by compliance problems. However, they fail to show employees how compliance is important to them personally. Sure, we all want our employees to put our organization first but, really, is that realistic? If your goal is to motivate employees to attend to compliance – and that had better be one of your goals – you’ll get far more bang for your buck if you can help them see how their lives and careers will be easier/better if they keep their mind on compliance.
To Do – Without your employees, your organization would quite literally be nothing. They are already contributing all day, every day, to the success of your organization. Make compliance training – along with every other training your provide – a tool that they can use for their personal success as well. Maybe that success has to do with advancement, maybe it has to do with some kind of incentive. At the rock bottom, it has to do with them keeping their job. The point is that there will always be ways you can think of to help them see that a focus on compliance is as much for their personal benefit as the company’s. Do your homework and figure out what those motivations are for your employees. It will not only make your training a whole lot more effective, it’s a nice thing to help your employees be successful, yes?
It is all-too-easy to overlook all five of the above requirements for effective compliance training. In fact, by ignoring them, it will be far easier for you to create your training program; just throw a bunch of regulatory requirements onto a Powerpoint presentation or webinar and slam through it for as long as it takes. You will, in fact, be telling your employees what they are required to hear. If, however, your goal is to not sabotage your training and actually get employees to take action and create a culture where compliance is top-of-mind, ignore any of the above five concerns at your own risk.
Christopher Bauer is an expert on creating cultures of ethics, compliance, and accountability. Information on his programs as well as his Trust Foundry blog can be found at www.ChristopherBauer.com. Information specific to his programs on professional ethics can be found at www.BauerEthicsSeminars.com. In addition to speaking, training, and consulting on creating cultures ethics, compliance, and accountability, he publishes a Weekly Ethics Thought seen by thousands or readers worldwide. Free subscriptions are available by visiting either of his websites.
