Congratulations! You have made one of the most important HR decisions for your business by investing in workplace compliance training. It sends an important message to your staff that you expect them to do the right thing and to contribute to a safe workplace where people treat others fairly and with respect. You are also establishing a strong foundation to protect your business from claims of legal liability and many of the hidden costs of non-compliance, such as staff turnover, lost productivity and decreased employee engagement. But before we get started, remember there is more to just workplace compliance training when it comes to rolling out robust workplace relations and safety programs. In fact, training is just the beginning.
When it comes to workplace compliance training, it is very important to take the right first steps and that you have appropriate guidance at each step of the rollout. For example, training in the absence of appropriate workplace policies in place still leaves you short when it comes to demonstrating all reasonable steps. So like most things, there is always more. However, training is a very good start!
Well begun, is half done. -Aristotle
The purpose of this blog is to help identify some of the key things that need to be done when you are about to roll out workplace compliance training and accompanying workplace policy management
1. Create and Roll out Policies
Create workplace compliance policies that are up-to-date and in line with legislation for the states/territories in which you do business. These policies should sit separate from your training and complement the topics for which you are training. For example, if you are rolling out workplace bullying, sexual harassment and equal employment opportunity training, then it is also important that you make available your policy on anti-bullying, harassment and discrimination. The two go hand in glove and together allow you to go a long way to meet all reasonable steps.
You must also be able to demonstrate that people have read and understood them and ensure they are accessible if and when required. That is where an online workplace compliance system like the one Sentrient provides to Australian businesses is paramount to your overall workplace relations and safety program..
2. Roll out Legally Endorsed Courses and Fill In Gaps with Customised Content
Yes, licensed compliance courses that are written in partnership with a law firm, as organisations like Sentrient provide, are very important. However, there are often subsequent training and areas that you would like to focus on. So having an online workplace compliance system that enables you to create your own content is also very important. Being able to create your own online workplace compliance courses Using your internal subject matter experts is very important. That might be in the form of a video, PowerPoint or PDF documentation, all of which you need to be able to enrol staff through an online system that enables them to confirm that they have read and understood and that can be centrally controlled by the HR or Risk and Compliance Team.
3. Train your Supervisors and Managers
With Sentirent you can also conduct separate training sessions for supervisors and managers about sexual harassment and other issues of workplace non-compliance that may occur and how to deal with complaints and handle the employees.
The completion of such online courses or face-to-face programs can be recorded in the system to demonstrate that you have given adequate workplace compliance training to your employees.
4. Follow Up to Ensure High Completion Rates
The function of automated reminders is critical to any workplace compliance system that will help you to increase completion rates. For example, the leading provider, Sentrient, delivers an average completion rate of 87% within 30 days, however, reminders before, on the due date and after the due date are a big reason for driving such high completion rates. But follow-up is not just about repeated reminders via online notifications. It will also require follow-up by senior managers to ensure there is a clear voice from the top down as to the importance of such training and policy rollouts.
5. Make it Easy
One of the most overlooked components of any compliance rollout is the end-user experience. To maximise the success of any rollout, it is important that you get the management team on board, let people know what is coming and the reasons why this is important to them and the overall organisation, and then ensure you have not overcomplicated your courses and policies. Having an online system like the one Sentrient provides will make this whole process simple to implement, easy to understand and pain-free!
For example, the Sentrient workplace-compliant system takes only minutes to set up, works 24×7 and is fully cloud-based, making it easy for people to access and complete what they need to
That is one of the reasons that Sentrient is Australia’s most sought-after and reliable workplace compliance system. Our underlying foundation is to create a situation in Australian workplaces where everyone wins.
Our workplace compliance system helps you create a safe and nurturing environment for your employees and also saves your business from claims of legal liability by providing workplace compliance training that is easy to understand and relatable to your staff.
Get your workplace compliance suite now or call on 1300 040 589 for further information.