5 ways to step up your compliance management

Non-compliance is costly. Hefty fines, data breaches, and new regulations understandably tend to grab the compliance headlines, but there is also a cost associated with missed opportunities. Compliance isn’t just about getting employees to do something they don’t want to do (view boring, outdated training videos) to avoid something your organization doesn’t want to do (pay fines, clean up messes). Instead, solving modern compliance challenges can be a vehicle for real behavioral and cultural change – and for driving growth, both for the organization and the individual.

Here are five areas of focus that can help you take early-stage compliance initiatives to the next level.

1) Reduce risk by ditching the spreadsheet

Relying on manual processes and spreadsheets to ensure your pilots or food handlers are properly trained introduces unnecessary risk and increases the likelihood of data silos. If an audit occurs, it can take a prohibitive amount of time to manually review records and find documentation for the auditor that demonstrates compliance. The preferred, low-risk option is a tool that can automatically log every completed course, training or re-certification into an internal system.

2) Keep up with changing regulations

Regulations are constantly changing. It’s essential to have a compliance solution equipped with advanced course management and versioning capabilities. That makes it quicker and easier for administrators to create, modify, disseminate and track different versions of training courses whenever regulatory changes happen. Plus, with the right versioning capabilities, you can track who in your team has completed the updated training modules versus those who still need to.

3) Make compliance training accessible

Complexity is the enemy of compliance. Too many steps, unclear expectations or lengthy requirements can make your training completion rates suffer. Instead, meet your learners where they are — on the platforms they use — and deliver training in a format that best supports their needs. Keep it simple for your learners and your admins.

“Cornerstone’s superpower, I think, is making compliance accessible,” says Sarah Thompson, Director of Learning Technology at Whole Foods.

4) Make compliance training enjoyable (not a typo)

Dry, droning content will result in glazed eyes, limited retention and possibly a short-term completion boost. It also makes it less likely that your employees will seek out other learning opportunities independently or happily return the next time they get a mandatory compliance assignment.

Look for high-quality, customizable content available in a wide range of formats, including microlearning. A little production value can go a long way and become an opportunity to go beyond the box-ticking and drive real behavior change.

In a recent study, a Cornerstone customer shared this feedback from a learner: “This year’s anti-harassment training was hands-down the best training I’ve ever attended in my career. It was proactive, thoughtful, and full of amazing advice and realistic example. I found myself thinking about it over the entire weekend. It stuck with me… [The] training has me seriously thinking and considering ways I can grow and do better every day.”

5) Connect compliance to your culture

“Compliance is key to creating a great company culture. It touches every single thing that an employee does,” says labor attorney Heather Bussing. “…Leadership often views culture initiatives as optional or something to be cut when budgets are tight but, in reality, great culture is foundational to getting work done. Focusing on compliance as an integral part of bigger strategy helps leadership shift their mindset and see its significance for all areas of business.”

The connection between compliance and your learning culture is particularly critical. While your learning initiatives may predominantly revolve around compliance today, establishing an association between learning and personal growth primes your workforce to embrace learning beyond the confines of obligatory checkboxes, fostering an environment of perpetual advancement.

Ready to revolutionize your compliance journey? Explore Cornerstone's cutting-edge compliance management solutions today and unlock a world of seamless efficiency, engaging training and transformative growth.