Disciplining an employee is never a pleasant experience, but no matter the size of your business, the reality hits for every employer. Whether you’re dealing with minor infractions or major, fireable offenses, your business needs a robust employee conduct policy that not only clearly informs your employees but also protects your business from potential lawsuits. Furthermore, your conduct policy must have “teeth,” ensuring it extends to contractors who may operate outside of your team’s typical communication channels. This is crucial for effective conduct policy compliance across your entire workforce.
As a business owner, you are responsible for hiring, managing, and, when necessary, letting go of employees. Many situations, whether real or perceived, can lead to legal action – consider sexual harassment, discrimination, wage and overtime disputes, and wrongful termination claims. Companies that fail to follow proper conduct policy compliance practices face numerous potential repercussions. These can include mandatory remediation programs featuring on-site compliance audits and inspections by regulatory agencies. Noncompliant organizations often incur substantial monetary fines and penalties. According to Hiscox’s Guide to Employee Lawsuits, a staggering 1 in 5 businesses faces a lawsuit from a former or current employee, with the average cost to defend and settle such a case reaching $160,000. This underscores the critical need for proactive conduct policy compliance.
From absenteeism policies to sexual harassment guidelines, and numerous scenarios in between, regulatory compliance requirements demand verifiable evidence of both completion and comprehension of company training and notices. It’s simply not enough to administer training on a given topic and have your employees sign an acknowledgment form. To meet rigorous conduct policy compliance standards, you need a clear “audit trail” proving that employees have received training and demonstrably understand its content.
Every company likely has an employee handbook. While valuable, it’s not a failsafe against future lawsuits, especially when it comes to proving conduct policy compliance. Distributing this content to both staff and contractors can be challenging enough. Relying on email and spreadsheets fails to create a closed loop for gathering audit-proof data that demonstrates true conduct policy compliance across your organization.
The Game Changer: HR Technology and Policy Compliance
This is where HR technology revolutionizes the way we approach conduct policy compliance. These systems not only mitigate risks and help companies meet compliance standards, but also provide the ability to measure employees’ comprehension of training materials. As previously discussed, content-centric workforce management systems are essential to ensure the communication required for effective HR compliance functions.
A strong platform facilitates the development and distribution of comprehensive, interactive content, proving that staff have actually received, read, and understood the materials – a key element of conduct policy compliance. Robust reporting tools provide stakeholders with insights into the time spent reviewing and engaging with content, allowing them to improve documentation and pinpoint potential risk areas that require proactive mitigation. This data-driven approach is crucial for managing and improving your conduct policy compliance efforts.
Cloud-based records can detail the content that’s been covered and remains accessible long after the training is complete. Additionally, time stamps track how much time each employee spent reviewing the training. To ensure employees are truly engaging, not just passively watching training, comprehension is verified through tests administered upon completion. The entire process is electronically recorded, and the results are securely stored in the cloud for future access. This demonstrates clear dedication to conduct policy compliance.
Proof is Paramount: Why Technology is Essential for Policy Compliance
This process not only helps employees understand their responsibilities outlined in the conduct policy but also provides employers with exactly what they need: PROOF of conduct policy compliance. The essence of compliance lies in documenting and repeatedly proving that standards have been met.
It’s time to move beyond reliance on paper handbooks, emails, spreadsheets, file shares, and paper acknowledgment forms. It’s time to harness the power of modern technology to help your organization maintain effective conduct policy compliance. Investing in the right HR technology is not just a cost; it’s an investment in risk management, legal protection, and ultimately, a more responsible and compliant workplace. Start taking the steps today to ensure your organization is truly compliant with your conduct policy.
