Ask an Expert: I work at a smaller company without a full compliance team, how do I get started if I want to deploy training?
If operating with a small team and/or a limited budget/resources, you must get “creative” when thinking about training – especially if you’re starting at “ground zero.”
Assuming you have no training in place, begin first with an inventory of the resources to which you do have access. Namely IT, compliance/legal or marketing departments who can provide assistance.
Initial questions to consider include:
Does your organization currently have access to a learning management/other system through which training can be deployed once created? If no technical resources are available can your training be deployed “the old-fashioned way” (i.e. in person)? Consider the costs of travel, etc., and whether a case can be made for technical resources instead or to supplement any in-person training.
Can your legal/compliance team assist with a first-round draft of material? (Even a PowerPoint will do to start!) If you are not a subject matter expert in the topics for which you need to develop training, seek those experts out early-on. If no in-house resources are available and budget for external support is limited, consider free, readily available resources which might be able to be re-purposed with permission/attribution. (For example, New York State offers Sexual Harassment Prevent Training that is free and readily available via their site which meets the requirements of both New York State and New York City. TRACE International offers a collection of anti-bribery video resources that are free and available to the public.)
What is the marketing/communication schedule for the month/weeks/year ahead? Can you piggyback onto an already scheduled communication? Although you might be focused on a specific remit it is important to keep in mind other organizational priorities as well as the practicalities of your organization and its business prior to deploying training. Keep in mind end of year or quarterly deadlines, local holidays, etc. You don’t want all your hard work to fall flat if deployed during a time when your target audience will give it no attention.
Depending on the above you can also consider joining an organization that might offer benchmarking opportunities with other organizations or a membership association that provides access to a collection of resources you can pull from or utilize to grow or build your training library.
You’ll want to seek out support from your organization’s leadership early on. Be prepared to back up any asks with data and evidence that support the value and short- and long-term benefit of training as both a risk mitigation and compliance support tool.
Remember, as the saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Building out a training program takes time. Be patient with yourself and others. You might even have some fun along the way!
Senior Director II, Compliance Training, TRACE
This post is part of our “Ask an Expert” series where we take questions submitted by readers and ask an expert in the compliance field to provide insight. If you have a question you would like answered, please submit here. |