Tips for Promoting Compliance Training

Stop burning budget on training that doesn’t change a thing. Your managers hate it. Your employees mock it. Your LMS isn’t training — it’s documenting exposure. And your culture is quietly paying the price. But here's the truth: If you're still relying on handbooks, LMS modules, or cookie-cutter workshops… You're not training. You're just documenting exposure. If you're trying to protect culture, reduce risk, and actually move the needle these are the 5 myths quietly wrecking your efforts: Myth 1: "Training = Compliance" ↳ Congrats, you passed the harassment quiz. But your culture still whispers behind closed doors. The Fix: Use game-based training that changes real behavior — not just scores a certificate. Myth 2: "The LMS Tracks Impact" ↳ No exec has ever said, "Wow, look at that 98% module completion rate!" The Fix: Measure mindset shifts, risk reduction, and real conversations happening after the training ends. Myth 3: "We Just Need More Manager Training" ↳ Nope. You need the right kind of training. The Fix: Quit re-running the same slide decks. Teach managers how to lead through conflict, coaching, and clarity — with tools they'll actually use. Myth 4: "People Don’t Want Training" ↳ They just don't want the soul-crushing kind. The Fix: Design training like a game night, not detention. Real scenarios. Peer debate. Points. Wins. Emotion. Myth 5: "We Have To Prove ROI on Hard Numbers" ↳ Want ROI? Look at turnover, complaint frequency, or team trust scores post-training. The Fix: Track what actually changes. Don’t settle for seat time. Demand a behavior dashboard that proves training is protecting your people and your bottom line. REMEMBER: Your training program isn’t just about checking legal boxes. It’s about saving your culture before it erodes, and arming your managers before you lose your best people. If your current system doesn’t do that — it’s time to level up. Which of these myths is costing you the most right now? Your team deserves better than “click next to continue.” Follow me for battle-tested insights, training games, and results your CFO won’t question.

Our client thought their training was working until they saw the data. Like many companies, they had a solid compliance program: annual trainings, mandatory videos, end-of-year quizzes. The usual checklist. But then they looked closer. - 90% of the content was forgotten within days. - Employees were skipping or rushing through. - Risky behavior like clicking unknown links was still happening. That’s when we helped them try something new. Real-time microlearning, triggered by behavior One day, an employee clicked on a suspicious link. Instead of a slap on the wrist or worse - silence, they got a quick, 90-second interactive lesson. Right then and there. No dashboards. No long modules. Just the right content, in the right moment. And it worked. ✅ Engagement went way up ✅ Retention improved dramatically ✅ Compliance gaps started shrinking Because people learn better when it’s relevant, immediate, and bite-sized. Training doesn’t need to be a calendar event. It can be a part of your culture. Embedded in real workflows. Invisible until it’s needed and unforgettable when it is. Our client now sees behavior change in real time, not in hindsight. And their people? They’re sharper, more confident, and less likely to click the wrong link again. Curious what this could look like in your org? Let’s talk about bringing learning to life, one click at a time.

Let's talk about "check the box" training. We all know that it: ❌ DOESN'T TRANSLATE TO BEHAVIOR CHANGES ON-THE-JOB Required is code for "just get through it." Click next to complete, not to learn. ❌ WASTES TIME, MONEY, AND RESOURCES Time spent to fulfill requirements we already know means time away from customers, salary $$ down the drain, and time spent by L&D to create something that doesn't make an impact. ❌ SENDS THE WRONG MESSAGE ABOUT L&D L&D has no clue what it is really like to do the job. L&D is here to ensure employees are compliant. WE CAN DO BETTER! We can't often change compliance regulations or executive directives for training requirements, but we can... ✅ WEAVE THE NECESSARY LEARNING INTO EVERYDAY LIFE Replace one-and-done training with repetitive (and even fun?) campaigns to reinforce messaging and truly change behavior. ✅ CREATE "PROVE IT FIRST" DESIGN Allow for assessments or performance to dictate whether training is really needed before someone spends the time to participate. ✅ LEARN ABOUT THE BUSINESS FIRST, DESIGN SOLUTIONS SECOND Understand what type of learning (and when) works best for participants as well as the true business need. Create a solution that works for everyone. Dive into this article to read real life stories of these problems and solutions in action. And yes, I know much of the compliance-type training is out of our hands. But that doesn't mean we can't get creative. What CAN we do? Most changes start with small acts that add up over time. And can we really afford to just keep checking boxes? #learninganddevelopment #talentdevelopment #creativity #strategy #businessempathy

Develop And Write A Great Policy And Then Assume No One Will Read It Standards and controls, including policies, are an important part of an effective ethics and compliance program. While I have many other #SundayMorningComplianceTip posts that address policy development and writing, there is one important assumption I think policy owners should make when it comes to policies: assume no one will read your policy. Hopefully the relevant employees will read the policy, but the point is to recognize that your busy employees are probably subject to scores of policies and have equally little amounts of time and interest in reading new policies. If we assume that employees are not going to read a new policy, we force ourselves to think a bit more about how to bring the policy to your employees and help them understand the requirements. Here are some examples of how to apply this assumption in practice: 1. Engage Leaders, Managers & Supervisors: You can do this through Compliance Manager Toolkits (a one page summary that helps managers understand their role with respect to the policy and how they can support employees with the new policy) and providing them short Compliance Tips of the Month so they can talk with their teams about some key points about the policy that are relevant to their team and will resonate with them. 2. Marketing Campaign: Embrace the marketing principle of the “Rule of 7” - you need to have multiple messages and communications for the relevant employees to help ensure that they are aware of the policy and the key policy requirements. 3. Help People Learn: This can include training (online or live), engaging them during the policy development stage, providing real life (or at least realistic) FAQs that provide realistic scenarios that relate to the policy, and advising employees on how to deal with any challenges or awkward situations that the new policy might create for them (e.g., how do you decline a gift that violates your new gifts and entertainment policy without burning important business relationships). Even if your employees are going to read all your policies, applying this assumption will only help support both your employees and your ethics and compliance program. Policy documents are just the written version of the policy - there are many other ways that we can communicate a policy to employees and help ensure the words on the page are reflective of the policy in practice. My #SundayMorningComplianceTip series is taking a break for the next few weeks and will return in January. _____ #SundayMorningComplianceTip #EthicsAndComplianceForHumans 📚 Want to get more compliance ideas and suggestions like this? Connect with me here on LinkedIn or get your copy of my book called Ethics & Compliance For Humans (published by CCI Press and available in print and kindle format on Amazon and various other online book stores)

What makes firm-sponsored training programs succeed—or fail? New research by Raffaella Sadun and team explains an often overlooked piece: middle managers. Using detailed data from three large firms across Latin America—a car manufacturer, a restaurant chain, and a retail company—the team documents a stark result: even with centrally designed, well-compensated training programs, participation varies dramatically across units. A critical ingredient was not the training itself, but rather the manager. That echoes a long-time view from Gallup, most notably Jim Clifton and Jim Harter's book "It's the Manager," that employees leave (or stay) managers, not firms. The new paper shows that managers who focus on employee well-being, engagement, and development (“High Training” managers) generate training take-up rates that are 45–60% higher than others. These same teams also exhibit lower absenteeism, lower turnover, and higher promotion rates—and respond better to unexpected production shocks, like demand spikes or adverse weather. In short: even without extra pay or formal implementation duties, some middle managers play an outsized role in coordinating training, motivating participation, and translating abstract HR goals into real outcomes. The implication for firms and policymakers: training investments will fall short without managerial alignment. Yet most HR policies and public subsidies assume take-up is automatic once a program is offered. It’s not. Policy and practice should: 1) Incentivize managerial buy-in through recognition or performance reviews. 2) Integrate training promotion into middle managers’ formal roles. 3) Complement centralized design with decentralized implementation strategies. 4) Consider managerial type as a key input in scaling human capital investments. Put simply by the authors: “training relies on complementary managerial practices and behaviors.” The best curriculum in the world won’t matter if the frontline team doesn’t believe in it—or even know about it. #HumanCapital #WorkforceDevelopment #TrainingAndDevelopment #Management #Upskilling