Compliance Commando Briefing: Element 5: Basic Training and Beyond

Train, train, and train again!

To accomplish a mission, you must provide the right training for the mission. You can’t expect top performance from Navy SEALs in a desert. The top Air Force fighter pilots won’t perform well in a surgical suite even if they are used to working with their hands.

Let’s not sugar coat it. Too often, compliance training feels like a chore. A box to check off for legal purposes during onboarding or performance reviews, for example. But training is where employees learn what compliance looks like during the mission. Their chances of succeeding in a mission they did not train for are one in nothing.

So if you have to train employees, how do you build training that actually works? Begin here, with these five essential mission-ready tips.

1. Diversify Training Methods

Everyone hates one hour online training modules. Literally. Everyone.

Maximize your training by using every method reasonably possible. Employees all absorb information differently. Some need to hear it, some need to see it, and others need to do it. For maximum resonance and retention, it’s crucial to meet them where they are. Utilize as many of the following as your budget will allow and remember, live training while at work does not always have an added cost:

• Online Modules
• Micro-learning through videos or short messaging
• Lunch-and-Learns
• Safety Stand-downs
• “Town Hall” or “All Hands” Meetings
• Email and Newsletter Communications
• Tool-Box Talks
• Brief Communications (e.g., use the memo line on a paper paycheck for important compliance reminders: “Safety First,” “Report Foreign Travel,” “Speak up 1-800-hotline”)

Use whatever means possible, including short-bursts and hands-on training to ensure that you’re reaching a wide range of learning styles. It’s also important to be inclusive and consider what learning needs neurodivergent employees may have.

2. Incorporate Active Learning

Be sure to train your employees in a way that caters to adult learners. Active learning, especially for adults, involves making sure your employees understand why they are learning the training content.

Begin each training session by explaining the “why.” Why is this training necessary? How does it impact their daily responsibilities? Explaining the “why’s” behind training captures employees’ attention and significantly improves retention.

3. Tailor Content to the Audience

Make sure training is designed for your audience. Housekeeping staff don’t need to be trained on antitrust law or insider trading, just as office staff doesn’t need fall prevention or arc-flash safety training. Customize content to align with specific roles and risks associated with each department. Always include contact information for a person who can answer follow-up questions and specific information on how to report concerns.

4. Assess Understanding

When possible, reinforce training by assessing employees’ understanding and retention. Consider starting sessions with a brief quiz or incorporating short knowledge checks. These tools support retention and help identify areas where further clarification may be needed. Consider using break-out groups for employees to discuss what they have learned with each other. Sometimes, it is easier to chat with a few co-workers for clarity rather than raise your hand in a corporate training and ask a question or be called on to answer one!

5. Recognize and Reward Compliance

Acknowledge your employees who complete mandatory training promptly. Consider offering the following low-cost, high-impact incentives to encourage timely training completion and feedback on training:

• Designated parking spots for first to complete annual training
• Casual dress days as a simple but effective reward
• Gift cards to acknowledge individual initiative
• Spot awards to recognize standout participation
• Pizza parties, a taco truck, or catered lunches to celebrate a team that worked together to be the first to complete the requirements

Consistent recognition boosts morale, but also reinforces a culture of accountability and proactive engagement.

Conclusion
Compliance training is much more than a procedural formality; it’s an important tool for accomplishing your business mission and for turning what’s supposed to happen into what actually happens.

Prioritize it. Invest in it. Tailor it to your people.
When employees understand what’s expected, and why it matters, they’re far more likely to get to “Mission Accomplished!”