Guidance around workplace compliance will vary depending on what industry you are in and who you go to for advice.
It can be anything from ‘too light’ (in other words, you’re exposed, and the impacts will cause you pain) to ‘too heavy’ (in other words, you’re not exposed, but now you are swimming in too much of the stuff and that also equals pain).
So it’s a wonder why so many businesses avoid workplace compliance, only to find out when it is too late that they are exposed and the consequences are significant to their business and their people.
So what is the right protection?
The right protection can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different businesses.
However, as a guideline, when it comes to workplace compliance, it’s always best to bring it back to first principles. You need to educate your workers, and you also need policies in place to provide guidance around what to do in the event of a workplace incident.
Of course, in a worst-case scenario, when you are under the microscope, being able to report on this in real-time is also good practice.
Always think of three components of a workplace compliance system:
- The right education (i.e. workplace compliance training)
- The right workplace policies
- Workplace compliance system to report for audit purposes
Having spent more than a decade around compliance and compliance-related matters, businesses looking for a workplace compliance solution fit into two categories.
Category 1; those whom a recent workplace incident has burned, or
Category 2; those who are looking for guidance on the right protection because they know they are exposed. Of course, there is a third category,
Category 3; those who do not know what they do not know.
But of course, after having read this article, if you are in that category, I’m sure you will want to learn a little more about your exposure and how we can protect your business and your people.
What you will also find, when you look closer at the common factors across all businesses in Australia, is that the below 5 areas of workplace compliance would be considered to be the BIG 5.
Yes, that’s right, there are lots of different animals on a safari, but at the end of the day, you’re really striving to get to see the BIG 5.
- Work health and safety
- Privacy
- Workplace bullying
- Sexual harassment
- Equal employment opportunity
- Internet and social media
So when it comes to the right protection for your business, think three things.
(1) Right education, (2) Right workplace policies and (3) a system to report on completions for audit purposes.
Sleeping at night is one of the long-lost pleasures of business owners and executives in a highly litigious business environment in Australia.
Having the BIG 5 in place with a robust workplace compliance system is one less thing that needs to keep you up late at night!