The Importance of Compliance Training in the Workplace

While all the types of corporate training are essential, compliance training holds a special place. It’s not just about ticking boxes — it’s about creating a workplace where everyone understands and follows the relevant laws, regulations, and internal policies. Let’s explore why compliance training is important and why it deserves to be in the spotlight.

What Is Compliance Training?

Compliance training is a structured program that provides employees with the necessary knowledge about the rules and guidelines they need to follow in their jobs.

It covers crucial topics like legal and regulatory requirements, company policies, and ethical standards. The goal is to make sure everyone knows how to act responsibly and in line with both the law and the company’s expectations. 

Why Is Compliance Training Important?

Compliance training plays a vital role for several reasons:

1. Minimizes legal risks

Legal protection is a big part of why regulatory compliance training matters. By educating employees about relevant federal laws and regulations, companies can ensure compliance and mitigate risk by avoiding violations that might lead to costly lawsuits or fines. This training covers important areas such as anti-discrimination, harassment, and data protection that help employees act within legal boundaries.

2. Protects company reputation

Mandatory training is important to keep a company’s reputation intact. When employees are aware of and follow ethical standards and legal requirements, they are less likely to engage in actions that could damage the organization’s image. This training helps prevent incidents that might lead to negative publicity or loss of trust among customers and stakeholders. 

3. Improves workplace safety 

Some jobs, like those in construction, manufacturing, and healthcare, pose risks of injury or health issues due to factors like heavy machinery, hazardous materials, and infection. Compliance efforts become invaluable in these settings as they empower employees with the knowledge and skills to recognize dangers, follow safety procedures, and react effectively in emergencies. Besides, by investing in workplace safety training and maintaining compliance training records, companies show they genuinely care about their employees’ well-being, which leads to fewer accidents and a more positive, productive work environment.

4. Builds an ethical workplace culture

Compliance training plays a key role in building an ethical workplace culture by weaving values like integrity and respect into daily operations. For example, in retail, it teaches ethical sales practices that help foster trust with customers. In healthcare, it emphasizes compassionate patient care so that employees prioritize patients’ well-being. All this helps create a work environment in which ethical behavior is second nature.

5. Boosts employee productivity

Compliance training is conducive to greater productivity. When people know the rules and understand what’s expected of them, they can perform their duties with greater confidence and efficiency. This means they spend less time and energy worrying about making mistakes and are more focused on their work. Besides, when employees feel knowledgeable, they’re usually more motivated and engaged, which boosts morale.

Examples of Compliance Training

Now that you know the benefits of compliance training, let’s look at the main topics commonly included in a compliance program:

Workplace safety

Workplace safety is all about keeping employees secure and healthy on the job. Making compliance training a priority ensures that staff are equipped to recognize hazards, follow safe work practices, and respond to emergencies. Key topics include equipment use, ergonomics, fire safety, chemical handling, and personal protective equipment (PPE). 

Anti-harassment and discrimination 

This type of compliance training helps employees understand what harassment and discrimination look like and why it’s important to treat everyone fairly, regardless of their background or identity. Anti-harassment training also explains how employees should behave if they see or experience inappropriate attitudes and explains the policies in place to protect them. 

Data protection and privacy

It is extremely important for companies to train employees on how to safeguard sensitive information and comply with legal regulations governing data protection and privacy. This kind of training covers things like how to handle data carefully, recognize potential security threats, and respond to data breaches. All this helps prevent unauthorized access to personal and business data, protecting both the company and its clients. 

Financial compliance

Anti-bribery and anti-corruption training teach employees how to recognize and prevent unethical practices in the workplace. It includes understanding laws and internal policies, identifying signs of bribery or corruption, and knowing how to report suspicious activities. This training is vital because it helps maintain a fair and transparent business environment and protects the company from compliance issues and reputational damage. 

Ethical conduct

This training helps employees understand the importance of ethical behavior in the workplace and offers practical tips for making choices that reflect the company’s values and policies. Participants learn how to identify ethical dilemmas, understand the consequences of unethical actions, and apply ethical principles in their daily work.

How to Use an LMS for Impactful Compliance Training 

Conducting compliance training in person for the entire staff can be challenging, particularly for large organizations that regularly onboard new employees. The simplest solution is to deliver this training online using a learning management system (LMS). An LMS streamlines the training process, improves the training experience for employees, and helps maintain detailed reports, which can be crucial for providing proof of compliance to regulatory authorities.

Now let’s look at how to conduct compliance training with an LMS.

Step 1. Prepare learning content

To start, you’ll need to prepare compliance courses. If you’re looking for online courses on general compliance topics like business ethics, anti-harassment and discrimination, or data privacy and protection (such as HIPAA, GDPR, POPIA, PCI, and more), you can purchase ready-made courses from dedicated providers. Besides, some LMS platforms, like iSpring Learn, offer a library of pre-made courses, so you can start training employees right away.

For more special training, such as using specific software or other tailored topics, you’ll likely need to create your own courses. In this case, it’s wise to choose an LMS that includes an authoring tool. iSpring Learn, for instance, comes with a built-in tool for creating simple courses, as well as an integrated, powerful authoring tool that enables you to design professional-looking courses with quizzes, training videos, and role-play simulations.

Here’s an example of a course created with iSpring Suite:

Step 2. Create training programs in the LMS

Once your training content is ready, you need to upload it to your LMS to assemble a complete compliance training program. Many LMSs allow you to create sequenced learning tracks so you can drip feed content in the correct order. For example, you can set the system to ensure that learners can advance to the next course only after completing the previous one. That way, they won’t be able to skip important topics.

Step 3. Automate the training process

Besides releasing the content in a specific order, some LMSs enable you to create a strict schedule for when each course in a learning track becomes available and set the due dates to complete a course.

Besides, in iSpring Learn, you can set up automated enrollment based on roles or departments. So, if someone joins the finance team, for example, they’re automatically signed up for all the relevant compliance courses. There’s no need for manual sign-ups or spreadsheets. And to keep everyone on track, the system can send out friendly reminders about upcoming deadlines or courses they haven’t finished yet.

Step 4. Keep track of learner results

In compliance training, monitoring results isn’t just a good idea — it’s often a necessity. In some industries, it is obligatory to provide evidence to regulatory bodies that their staff is up to date with regulations, and that’s where tracking comes in handy. Using an LMS like iSpring Learn simplifies this task by automatically collecting all the data you need.

With iSpring Learn, you can easily generate detailed reports that show who has completed the training, who is still in progress, and who may need additional support. This approach not only helps you meet compliance requirements but also gives a clear picture of how effective the training is.

5 Tips to Create Effective Compliance Training for Employees

Here are some more insights into how to make compliance training even more successful.

• Use real-life scenarios. Incorporate realistic scenarios that employees might face when performing their job functions so they can better understand how to apply compliance rules in their work. For instance, if you’re in the hospitality industry, you might want to include a scenario about handling customer data securely. 
• Make it interactive. Interactive elements, like quizzes or role-playing exercises, can make employee training more engaging. For example, after covering a section on data protection, include a quick quiz to test understanding. This will keep employees more motivated and help improve results by allowing them to practice what they’ve learned.
• Keep it concise and focused. Avoid overwhelming employees with too much information at once. Break the content down into manageable sections that focus on key points. 
• Provide ongoing support and resources. Compliance training shouldn’t be a one-time event. Offer ongoing support and resources to help employees stay informed. For instance, create a resource hub with easy access to updated regulations, FAQs, and contact information for compliance officers.
• Gather feedback. After conducting necessary training sessions, collect feedback from participants to understand what worked well and what didn’t. This can be done through surveys or informal discussions. Use this feedback to continuously improve the training content and delivery methods.

Conclusion

Compliance training might not always be the most exciting topic, but it’s crucial for keeping everything running smoothly and safely in any organization. When everyone knows the rules and understands why they’re in place, it creates a better work environment for all. 

Using an LMS can significantly streamline the training process. With a learning platform, you can organize and deliver compliance training efficiently, track learner progress, and ensure that everyone stays updated with the latest information.

If you’re ready to see how iSpring Learn can transform your compliance training, book a free demo of the LMS.