Compliance Training: Could It Be Fun?

POV: You are an employee at a large company. Your week ahead is jam packed with your kids school and extracurriculars or you have a busy social calendar. In addition, you have a busy week ahead with meetings and project deadlines. To top it off, your company has sent a reminder about the compliance training course that needs to be completed. You sigh, because you are not looking forward to a dull compliance training course. It isn’t your first time completing a compliance training course with your company, and every year it’s the same repetitive message. A training course teaching you the rules of the workplace, how to be safe while doing certain tasks and be respectful of your colleagues. You typically watch a long video that seems quite dated and there are a few questions at the end. You try really hard not to get distracted or fall asleep. You’ll ask your boss if you can skip it, but it’s a no-go because compliance training is mandatory for all employees. You drag your feet as you get set-up to log into the training session, thinking you know exactly what to expect…

We know this is typically the case when it comes to compliance training programs, but do they have to be dreadful and boring? Keep reading to learn more about compliance training, its challenges and what it means for your company.

What Is Compliance Training?

Compliance training programs generally cover numerous important topics such as:

• Cybersecurity
• Government regulations
• Workplace safety
• Company ethics
• Money laundering and corruption
• Harassment

If an organization is non-compliant with government regulations the costs can be extremely hefty and could even lead to the business being shut down. License cancellations and business disruptions can be extremely costly, not to mention developing a bad reputation can substantially hurt the business. Failing to be non-compliant will cost you more than making the effort to stay on top of compliance standards. 

An eLearning Design Challenge

A compliance training course can be challenging to design. It is a type of training that is more unique, in comparison to training that is about learning a new skill or sharing new informational content. Compliance training modules will encompass industry standards, company policies and government regulations. It is a type of employee training that requires behavioural adjustments in order to ensure everything is up to mark. Because of this, it may pose a challenge to design the course in a way that caters to different personalities, learning styles, values and biases. If your compliance training program is able to cater to this, bringing about a behaviour change should not be a challenge. 

A Boring Obligation?

It seems to appear that most employees feel that compliance training is a monotonous obligation rather than an open choice. In fact, this perspective can sometimes also apply to the course’s instructional designers. Course creators sometimes do not spend enough time investing in a great user experience for their employees, rather they tend to just stick to the basics. Doing that is not beneficial for your company as it will cause the course to be less impactful. Being open to the mindset of adding a little more effort to compliance training courses can positively change an audience’s perspective, keep them entertained and ensure a higher level of impact.

Creating an Engaging Compliance Training Program

Some companies may be hesitant to attempt to make compliance training engaging and fun for their employees. They might feel if they gamify particular topics it will take away from the seriousness and importance of it. This is not the case at all. As long as these guidelines are applied, there will be no issue meeting the objectives of the compliance training program:

Topic relevance is on point

Gamifying elements that do not relate to the subject matter can cause distractions. If gamification is used intentionally, elements like a mix and match chart or a map can be a constructive addition to reinforce health and safety training. 

Include content that is relatable for your employees

If you are an in-store retail organization but your ethics training module is using warehouse ethics compliance training, your employees will be confused and disengaged if the information doesn’t apply to them, nor does it relate to their roles. 

Keep employees engaged regularly

Compliance training should not be viewed as a “one and done” situation. Instead, it should be repeated annually in order to ensure its effectiveness and to help mitigate any unpredictable issues and risks that could occur. It is a good idea to consider creating a refresher course with fun knowledge tests, to keep repeat learners sharp and engaged.

Measurable results are a must

Measurable results are seriously the holy grail of employee training. Take into account what data is most important for you and how you intend to use that information. Knowing this will help you create an effective compliance training program that measures your non-negotiables.  

There is no rule book that states compliance training has to be boring. An engaging and fun compliance course will create a positive employee experience and foster a strong company culture. Gamification is one of the several ways to make compliance training engaging. To learn more about how you can incorporate fun learning methods such as gamification, request a call and one of our product specialists will be in touch with you shortly.