How to Foster Better Compliance in the Workplace in 2024

When you look at compliance training from a cost-benefit standpoint, it’s clear that the biggest risk involves doing nothing. While there is always a cost associated with providing employees with compliance training, the price tag of postponing it can be much higher. 

The bottom line is that a well-planned, well-executed training program can help prevent serious problems–everything from costly fines and lawsuits to job-related injuries and data security breaches. In addition to risk reduction, compliance training also offers an array of positive benefits. Conducting anti-harassment and diversity training, for example, are two well-trodden avenues for enhancing a company’s reputation, retaining valuable employees, and attracting top talent. 

Diversity training programs–or the lack thereof–are also noticed and scrutinized by the majority of professionals looking for jobs. This was brought to the forefront in a Glassdoor survey in which more than three out of four employees and job seekers (76%) stated that a diverse workforce is an important factor when evaluating companies, prospective employers, and job offers. 

Obstacles to Compliance at Work in 2024

The glaring problem with many well-intended compliance training programs is that they fail to engage participants or change behavior. As researchers at the Gallup organization point out, “The majority of employees have training experiences that are uninspiring, unmemorable or irrelevant to their work”. Gallup’s data shows that fewer than one in four employees who have participated in a compliance or ethics training session would give it a high rating (“excellent”). 

The company’s research also found that in-person and blended e-learning programs receive higher ratings than training sessions that are purely web-based or digitally delivered. The web-based teaching method only garnered a 17% (high) approval rating. In contrast, a blended or in-person approach received strong approval from 28-30% of respondents.

Survey results also revealed that only one out of ten participants strongly agree that they learned something that changed the way they work. Furthermore, most respondents, nearly 90%, do not agree (strongly) that their coworkers apply lessons learned in compliance training. Based on feedback from the Gallup poll, it’s clear that there is room for improvement.

Compliance Training Tips for Increased Engagement

Promoting training events through various in-house media and word of mouth can spark interest in upcoming compliance training sessions. Strategies may include announcing training highlights in newsletters, email blasts, and staff meetings. This type of advance notice underscores its importance to staff members and emphasizes that it’s an organizational priority. 

Actively promoting training events also helps increase employee acceptance, awareness, and receptivity. Visual aids, such as videos and infographics, are helpful tools HR can use to capture attention and preview vital information to employees. 

Reinforcing key training points, both before and after the sessions, helps staff retain the information and apply it to actual workplace situations. Providing team members with case studies and relatable examples is an effective method of helping them remember important takeaways. This approach has a greater impact on learning and retention than simply listing policies, procedures, and regulations.

A common training mistake that tends to backfire for training coordinators is trying to be all things to all people. Customization is necessary. Once employees realize that they’re being fed irrelevant information, they’ll quickly tune out and disengage from the training session. 

Since workers want to know how compliance training applies to them, the most effective lessons are those that are job or industry specific. The one sure way to lose your audience is to subject them to “information overload” and bog them down with material that doesn’t directly relate to them or their jobs.

A few other strategies for making compliance training “user friendly” include delivering the training sessions in short segments (the micro learning technique), avoiding unnecessary jargon and confusing technical terms, and incorporating interactive elements in presentations, video tutorials, and other training formats.

The Importance of Compliance at Work in 2024

In spite of the many challenges involved in compliance training, simple strategies can often overcome communication problems. Common learning barriers may include short attention spans, reluctance to devote time to the training, and skepticism about its importance. To overcome these potential obstacles, supervisors and trainers need to model positive attitudes about the material and present the lessons in a compelling way. Ingredients of an engaging training program also include a well-organized agenda, dynamic presenters, interactive discussions, and professional videos. 

Keeping Up with Compliance Trends in 2024

Consider using online courses from KnowledgeCity to supplement your organization’s in-person training sessions. This not only reinforces vital information, but also provides additional insights, examples, and graphics that aid the learning process. Our 25,000+ training videos consist of content-rich tutorials that are divided into short, digestible segments. This format provides trainers with a flexible teaching aid. It also enables users to conveniently fit the training modules into their busy schedule.

With more than 15 years of experience in the e-learning industry, KnowledgeCity can provide your organization with the necessary tools to help keep your staff informed, updated, and well-versed on vital workplace issues. We invite you to explore our full catalog of compliance courses and request free trial access to our state-of-the-art online training platform. You can count on us to add new courses to our learning library every month to help you and your team stay current on the latest developments in compliance and ethics trends.

Our ever-expanding selection of compliance training videos include tutorials on critical issues that impact many different types of workplaces. Examples include HIPAA, hazardous waste operations, and emergency response preparedness. We also address key topics such as environmental compliance, global workplace safety, and transportation regulations. 

While sexual harassment training is an essential topic that we offer training in, we also offer a wide range of other pertinent topics. For example, our videos address cybersecurity, business ethics, and safety, health, and emergency response training. We also offer a series of video courses on diversity, equity, and inclusiveness training (DEI), a subject of growing importance to companies of all sizes. Feel free to contact us if you need help tailoring a personalized staff training strategy for your organization.