Compliance training is the educational, instructional process by which an employer is ensuring that employees are informed-on and understands all of the relevant regulations, laws, internal policies, and external policies that govern how the organization or business functions on a day-to-day basis. It may also encompass the teaching and coaching of how and why they need to follow these policies at work.
The best kind of coaching walks each individual employee through real-world examples of how issues of compliance and moral ethics apply to their jobs and roles in society as well as the workplace. It can give them guidance they so desperately need to deal with a plethora of situations and problems they will definitely face.
A good, compliant workforce helps employees and companies both flourish. If everyone knows what they’re supposed to do and the boundaries within which they’re supposed to work, they can do so productively and with less supervision. Also, they’ll know how to act right and what to do if a new situation arises in the meantime, putting their ethical morals to the ultimate test.
It differs from corporate (or technical) training.
It differs from general workplace instruction which typically covers things like operations and job functions, specific to your business. Those types of HR compliance training may, in fact, go over how to use ERP software, filing reports, requesting time off, and so on and so forth. This training covers a very wide spectrum of informative topics and workplace rules.
This education includes both employment and business laws in your state and the explanation of what the penalties are for if they are violated. It may also go over regulations specific to your industry such as NDAs and disclosures of finances, confidentiality agreements, and even requirements for reporting. Legal and ethical issues may also be covered in this training according to your company’s values and philosophical beliefs.
There is required education for common compliance issues.
What exactly will be covered at your job’s training seminars are sessions which differ greatly between organizations and industries depending on the needs of each individual corporation. The types of instruction may even vary from department to department and in between job title to job title.
The following is an incomplete list of some of the topics typically covered by organizations:
The program may also differ between departments, in some cases. It’s common for businesses to require employees in their financial departments to do some more intensive instructions or certification on things like fraud prevention than their coworkers in other departments, like marketing or production.
Safety is the number one concern for most compliance-interested groups. For more information about federal regulations, visit OSHA’s official website: https://www.osha.gov/, Laws are changing regularly and it is best to be well-informed and up-to-date.
Compliance training’s benefits in the workplace
Noncompliance has a lengthy laundry list of consequences which will befall and damage your company or organization. Government agencies, private companies, and even super-wealthy individuals are committing regulatory and ethical violations on a daily basis, accruing millions of dollars in fines, major drops in revenue, and societal damage such as a poor reputation to the company’s name. Some have even been arrested and put to death in other countries.
You can’t just simply give your employees and list of the rules and expect them to follow each and every one of them just as you can’t just hand them a binder full of projects on tier first day of work, expecting them to read and understand every law and regulation the company needs to operate safely and legally.
In most cases, employees don’t break the law intentionally. However, corporations typically do and get away with it constantly. As an employee, it’s important that you know your rights in the workplace. No one deserves to be treated poorly, unfairly, or unequally. If you think are a victim of discrimination, click here to find out what you’re options are. You are not alone.
Educating your employees and whole team on compliance and ethics helps everyone understand how to stay in compliance as well as follow all the rules set forth by the employer. It can help to identify and report on any violations that they may see and they can help spot potentially problematic issues before any sort of violation even occurs.
It can help everyone be on the same page and avoid costly legal issues. The last thing you want is for your company to get taken down over something trivial.