Understandably, compliance training for employees feels a bit like exercises in bureaucracy. Companies and employees treat compliance like a mere necessary box to tick so they can go back to business. Unfortunately, not everyone takes the time to really understand it, just like what we do with Terms and Conditions!
However, the fact remains: compliance training courses are mandatory training for employees, with good reason! It isn’t only the legal and financial ramifications of noncompliance, it’s also the fact that employee engagement and compliance have a surprising link.
Employees who do not bother learning the rules and regulations applying to their job aren’t employees who see themselves in the company in the long run. When you educate employees on policies, laws, and regulations, you can keep them engaged with the company culture.
While there are numerous ways to ensure a successful compliance training program, you’re probably a bit confused over what topics to cover first. Depending on your company’s industry, there are various regulations you must meet, not including the local and international laws! With that in mind, here are the compliance topics you must focus on:
- Company and Industry Specific Regulations
This topic must cover industry-specific laws and regulations that all employees must comply with. This can touch base with your customer service standards, too.
The structure of this topic depends on the industry your business is in, as not all industries are as heavily regulated as others. For instance, the financial services industry will need to consider the DODD-Frank act and other regulations, or your country’s equivalent of it if it exists. Or in the healthcare industry, businesses must ensure that employees are knowledgeable about HIPAA.
- Workplace Safety
Safety always comes first and your employees deserve to feel safe at work. This topic will help your employees understand the safety norms they must follow to achieve that.
Your compliance training module on Work Health and Safety must include general healthcare compliance topics, like sickness policies, smoking policies, and rules for handling hazardous chemicals or equipment.
- Online Security
Once you address your employees’ physical safety, you must also prioritize online safety. Not only should you look into your employees’ online safety, but your clients, too.
Cybersecurity is one of the staple topics tackled in compliance training, and for good reason. No one wants to worry about issues like hacking, data leaks, phishing, and the like.
That’s why it’s crucial to educate your employees about such topics to keep systems secure against cybercrime.
- Emergency Information
This must be the standard “break glass in case of emergency” module, where you can include topics like evacuation drills, fire safety, first aid, electrical safety, and the like. It’s crucial to include tangible examples of such topics in the workplace.
Today, it’s also vital to discuss COVID-19 safety policies as well, ensuring your employees know what to do to stay safe when in the office.
Wrapping It Up
Make sure you keep these compliance topics in mind when you create a training program.
