Compliance training remains a key concern for most L&D teams. Non-compliance can be catastrophic for an organisation, resulting in multi-million dollar fines, restrictions on business activity and irreparable reputational damage.
Think of the widespread banking scandals and the constant news stories about data protection breaches – the public remembers these compliance failures, and it often marks a death sentence for a business.
However, despite the wealth of learning technology available to us today, Brandon Hall’s Compliance Training 2017 report states that 62% of organisations still choose face-to-face methods to deliver compliance training, making it the most popular delivery method.
In contrast, the second-most popular methods are video and virtual classrooms, used in 51% of organisations, showing that learning technology still has some way to go to catch up with more traditional face-to-face compliance training.
So why are so many organisations still so tied to these traditional training methods when it comes to compliance, and why is it time to shake up the status quo?
Fear of getting it wrong
When the stakes are so high, mixing up your compliance training programme can feel like a risk not worth taking.
If your current programme is working ‘well enough’, the idea of scrapping it and starting from scratch can feel daunting. What if learners don’t engage with the new programme? What if it doesn’t deliver the same results?
However, moving compliance training online can be incredibly effective.
Firstly, it allows you to deliver a consistent learning experience that isn’t dependent on the trainer, their teaching style or the other attendees in the session.
It also allows you to track completion and performance much more accurately, and you can generate reports automatically so you always have an up-to-date overview of who has completed their compliance training and who hasn’t.
Working with your current trainers and internal SMEs to transform your current face-to-face compliance training into an online offering ensures that the content is captured and recreated effectively, making the transition from the classroom to your learning platform seamless.
Fear of wasting money
Many L&D teams prefer to act cautiously and stick to what they know. If they know that their compliance classroom sessions cost $X a year, they may feel more comfortable including this same figure in their budget year in, year out.
But when it comes to face-to-face training, the components are much more likely to vary in price (generally increasing) each year.
Room bookings, transport, accommodation, catering, resources and the cost of trainers are likely to creep up, making face-to-face training an increasingly expensive option.
With online training, you can create it once and make it available for all learners – and any updates can be made with the click of a button and updated automatically, meaning that everyone always has access to the most up-to-date training without needing to spend time and money on travelling to a physical location.
At Totara, we have seen the switch from face-to-face to online training save organisations up to 80% on their learning programmes, making this a great cost-saving measure for the majority of businesses.
BMI Healthcare boosted compliance by 133% while cutting training costs by £800,000 a year with Totara Learn.
Fear that it won’t be effective
Of course, there are many compliance training programmes that require face-to-face time, such as first aid training, learning to use machinery or equipment or a police simulation of an emergency scenario.
In this case, it makes perfect sense to keep face-to-face training as part of your compliance programme – but to ensure that the skills and knowledge remain fresh in the minds of training attendees, why not consider incorporating this into a wider blended programme?
A blended compliance training programme can help support learners long after they have attended their training seminar.
For instance, you could set up discussion forums with other learners from the session to allow them to continue conversations or clarify points they didn’t quite understand, introduce performance support resources or quick micro-learning modules to support on-the-job performance.
INOC improved their compliance training management by migrating from Moodle to Totara Learn
If your current compliance training programme currently comprises face-to-face sessions and nothing else, consider why that might be. Is there a genuine business need for this, or could your training be delivered and tracked more effectively as part of a blend?
Looking to shake up your compliance programme and ready to take the next step?
Our new guide reveals how compliance training is being delivered today, organisations’ plans for the future and our take on how getting it right will give you the freedom to innovate and the freedom to save.
