Compliance is important for most companies. Industry oversight and government rules are necessary to protect workers, consumers, and communities. These guidelines ensure that organizations operate ethically and with basic safety measures and quality controls in place.
Businesses that are not compliant could face harsh penalties, like expensive fines and loss of reputation. In some cases, a company may be shut down if they ignore laws or are too far out of compliance.
All of this leads to more expenses and a loss of revenue. Any reputable business should want to remain compliant. Good companies want to use best practices and maintain safe environments for all involved. They need to keep their licenses in good standing and want to build a reputation as an organization that is committed and conscientious.
Compliance isn’t a one and done thing for businesses. New employees will have to be certified, usually through a training course and/or testing. Some situations require updates with refresher courses and re-certification. This can be cumbersome to manage while also keeping up with daily responsibilities.
A learning management system can streamline compliance and save time that trainers and managers can spend on other endeavors. How can you use an LMS to make corporate compliance easier for your team?
- Build or Import Compliance Courses for Your Team
Establishing your compliance course can be time consuming, especially if you plan to create the content yourself. Producing an effective class that meets all industry or legal requirements is tricky. Depending on how complex or strict the rules are, you may need an expert to check your work before you publish it for your team.
Importing content is a common feature among learning management systems. Many support the use of third-party marketplaces where you can search for courses on just about anything. This usually comes with a fee but will allow you to immediately import compliance courses into your training program. These are usually ready to use so you can distribute them without delay and get everyone compliant sooner.
- Employee Data Will Show Who is Compliant
An LMS will keep track of data across your training program. That includes data related to compliance. Anytime you have questions or need to schedule a class, you can see who is compliant and who is not.
Instead of asking managers and supervisors for a list of people who need compliance training, you can get the list yourself in seconds. Many platforms also include easy messaging tools so you can issue an email to that specific group of employees with information on how to enroll.
- Schedule Reminders for Re-Certification Deadlines
Certifying once usually isn’t enough. Most industries require professionals to re-certify after a set length of time has passed. That means your business must constantly keep up with which workers are compliant and which will soon be overdue.
An LMS will store this information for you. The right system will record the date a certificate is issued so you have everything at your fingertips. No more checking hardcopy files or asking workers directly. Instead, apply a filter for compliance and generate a list in seconds.
- Automatically Enroll Employees in Compliance Courses
Automatic enrollment is a form of automation that frees up time for your trainers. Your system can be set up to automatically enroll employees in compliance courses when they are nearing or after their end date.
This will usually issue a message to the employee with all the information they need to access the class. You should also have a method in place for employees to contact their supervisors or trainers in case of scheduling conflicts. There may be an option in the LMS for messages or rescheduling. Check your LMS features to see how automatic enrollments are handled.
- Maintain an Ongoing Record of Team Compliance
Companies need records of compliance in case issues arise later. An LMS will keep these records up to date for you. Most also have a way to store them, with many using the cloud. If anything happens to your on-site computers or servers, you will still be able to retrieve your compliance data.
Having constant access to this information can save you a lot of hassle and money in the future. If there’s ever a question about your compliance, you can respond quickly with the information needed to avoid fines and penalties thanks to your LMS.
- Stay in Control of Course Versions and Content Approval
Compliance courses usually have to meet certain standards set by industry leaders or government entities. That means you need to have current content that meets guidelines.
Some LMSs let you manage different versions and require content approval before adding or removing anything from your compliance training program. This will ensure that the right material is provided to your team, so you have everything covered to stay legal.
Updating courses using an LMS is also easy. Most allow users to publish revisions and additions immediately. Some also let you send an email or notification to let your team know that a change was made and that they need to revisit the content.
- Streamline Communication for Compliance Purposes
Communication related to compliance should be addressed in a timely manner. Trainers and supervisors can get busy, which can make it difficult to respond fast enough when a deadline is approaching.
Most LMSs include built-in communication tools like live chat, messaging, forums, or email. This will give trainees more ways to reach out when they have compliance-related questions. Being able to interact quickly without obstacles will help prevent workers from falling behind or missing a deadline.
- Consistent Exam Requirements with Instant Results
Exams will help you determine if an employee truly learned the material or just sat through the class. This may also be required for compliance.
Most LMS platforms include assessment and exam features so everything can be done within the system. Results can be calculated and presented instantly so there’s no downtime. Employees can see their scores and get right back to work knowing they are compliant. Or, if they didn’t pass, they can move right into supplemental training if needed.
- Perform Compliance Training Online or Offline
Just like any training, compliance courses should be consistent whether they are conducted online or offline. A good LMS will support both methods.
If you have remote workers or want to offer employees more flexibility, having both options in your training program is a must. An LMS that can handle blended learning will help you stay organized with less effort. These will usually have ways to check-in for offline classes while also tracking all online learning activities.
Compliance training is an important part of success for any business that is required to do it. Make sure you stay compliant to avoid fines and to establish your brand as one that is trustworthy and reliable. Visit LMS.org to read LMS reviews and to learn more about corporate compliance training features.
