Around the United States, employees in HR departments often find themselves providing educational seminars about a variety of workplace provisions and regulations. Compliance training seeks to inspire employee adherence to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulations.
The Scope of the Problem
One recent study revealed that during the past two decades, a shocking 400 percent increase occurred in compliance lawsuits. Today, most businesses and institutions appreciate the vital importance of educating managers and workers about legal issues affecting their jobs. A new law in California potentially imposing personal liability on firm executives for infractions of wage and labor laws soon may add new financial bite to those concerns.
Yet as they explain dry topics such as business ethics, diversity, sexual harassment, employee disciplinary procedures and workplace security protocols, HR personnel often struggle to find ways to engage the audience effectively. Now some dynamic new tools can help make these discussions more meaningful for many staff members.
1. Survey Feedback
Recently, more HR personnel have been evaluating the effectiveness of their compliance programs by developing surveys to solicit useful feedback from other employees. This type of constructive criticism can enable compliance trainers to assess the best, most effective steps for educating their fellow employees about legal issues.
Of course, surveys won’t contribute much to organizational reform measures unless managers act in a proactive manner to correct any weak areas revealed by the results. The use of surveys requires HR personnel to help develop an innovative, creative and responsive culture within the organization. By asking employees to provide honest feedback, companies can sometimes pinpoint areas that require improvement. However, management must possess the courage to implement reforms.
2. Software
According to Entrepreneur Magazine, an exciting new generation of HR software programs currently on the market enables many HR professionals to budget their time far more effectively than during previous eras. Now automation allows these professionals to focus their attention on communicating effectively with other staff members and employees. The enhanced time-management may allow a HR spokesperson to develop and deliver genuinely engaging and memorable compliance briefings for the benefit of employees.
A growing number of firms have begun appreciating the value of investing in these sophisticated HR software packages. In 2015 alone, an estimated 53 percent of firms with 1,000 employees or more decided to purchase HR computer packages. Today, some HR programs include libraries of data designed to enhance compliance awareness. Some programs furnish updates about legal changes impacting specific industries. Online courses and software tools often provide assistance to HR departments in conducting employee training. The rapid expansion of technology in this area promises to dramatically change the delivery of some compliance education courses in the near future.
3. Innovative Compliance Hotlines
The staggering number of regulations relation to employment compliance issues today has overwhelmed even some HR professionals. It may prove very difficult to keep abreast of rapidly expanding laws in this field. One helpful development for some compliance trainers involves the establishment of compliance hotlines in selected industries. Departments composed entirely of compliance experts within a specific field remain available to answer complex questions that arise relating to aspects of this subject.
A compliance trainer confronted with a complex question can now, depending upon the industry, refer a difficult matter to a group of compliance experts for clarification. For instance, the Ohio Credit Union League recently implemented a hotline to assist member credit unions seeking to comply with a host of regulatory rules. No doubt EEO compliance hotlines will soon assist small and mid-size companies without full-time compliance experts in many other fields as they tackle issues involving workplace and hiring compliance issues.
4. Human Capital Management Technology
This branch of Enterprise Resource Planning systems may soon assist HR personnel in assigning the most qualified employees to specific tasks. Human Capital Management (“HCM”) programs promise to jumpstart compliance training in the future by ensuring that trainers possess the qualifications and attributes to communicate material in the most effective ways.
Some sources view this new field as disruptive technology. It may dramatically realign the way that HR Departments and company managers view their roles within emerging enterprises, and may bring new opportunities for advancement to the most qualified workers in a labor force. Several software providers today offer innovative HCM programs.
Improving Compliance
Lastly, businesses that focus resources on improving compliance with EEO regulations will likely benefit from a diverse, highly motivated workforce. Growing sophistication about this issue at a grassroots level may also reduce needless litigation expenses for many companies and government agencies that routinely in the past discriminated against groups such as senior job applicants and pregnant women.
Malcolm Rowlings evaluates businesses through independent consultant work, with core focuses around; bigger ideas, bottom-lines and better business.
