How to mitigate risk by boosting engagement in compliance training 

In the middle of a busy workday, getting an email reminder about mandatory compliance training can make employees feel irritated, stressed out, and even downright frustrated. It’s not unusual for individuals to ignore these emails, completely forget about them, and then find themselves rushing to complete their compliance training at the last minute—and, let’s be honest, probably not comprehending much of what they’re learning in the process. 

But what if compliance training was more than what many may see as a boring, time-consuming obligation? What if these trainings helped employees feel more agile and informed so they could carry out their work ethically? 

In this article, we'll explore strategies you can use to transform compliance training from a dreaded chore into a source of value employees are eager to engage in. Ready to revolutionize your approach to compliance training? Keep reading! 

Leverage microlearning to engage employees 

Compliance training shouldn’t take your team a full day to complete. Requiring employees to spend hours at a time on compliance training not only consumes time employees may be relying on to finish a project, but it also means you’re likely feeding learners way more information than they can realistically retain. 

Instead, consider implementing microlearning. Microlearning is digestible content delivered in bite-sized snippets, and for compliance trainings these snippets are typically around 10–30 minutes long. Now, we’re not saying you need to provide employees with only 10–30 minutes of compliance training total per year, as that probably won’t meet regulatory practice. What you might consider, though, is providing multiple pieces of microlearning content to complete over time. 

Our tip: Deliver all microlearning courses at once with a common due date, or deliver one piece of microlearning per week for four weeks, allowing employees to engage in short bursts of learning over the span of a month. This way, the course or training can be picked apart and employees can sit with what they learn. Think of your team and how they learn best when you choose which method works best for them. 

Compliance training isn’t something employees should do once a year and then forget about. With microlearning, you can use compliance training as an ongoing reminder of how to stay safe and mitigate risk. Because this content is short and easy to complete, you might use it throughout the year. For example, choose a month to focus on DE&I and assign a microlearning course about the importance of diversity & bullying prevention. 

Go1’s content library features many content providers who offer unique microlearning courses. Easy Llama’s learning content, for example, includes video scenarios that are presented as Facetime chats, and Marcom’s compliance content is largely set in real-world contexts and features realistic scenarios. 

The benefit of microlearning 

Segmenting your training into small doses of information creates an approach that employees can fit into their schedule, allowing for better information processing and retention. This type of segmented learning is less overwhelming and more focused, and it enables employees to learn on their own time, at their own pace. Plus, microlearning makes it easier for employees to revisit and review content whenever necessary, resulting in a more impactful, long-lasting training experience. 

Incorporate real-world scenarios specific to your organization 

Compliance training shouldn't be rushed through just to get to the end of it; it’s important that employees actually understand the training content in order to carry out their work ethically and responsibly. Rather than assigning employees generic training and hoping for the best, integrating real-life scenarios into your training can help your team better grasp compliance concepts and understand how to incorporate them into their work. 

Consider sharing real-life successes and failures that your organization or organizations in your industry have experienced. Analyzing personalized or relatable compliance case studies will help employees see the direct impact of their behaviors in upholding ethical practices. If you’re looking to offload some of that personalization work, with Go1, L&D admins can create customized hybrid courses using our lightweight course builder. This allows organizations to create training tailored to their unique policies and compliance scenarios to ensure employees fully understand how to adhere to your company standards. 

Experiential learning strengthens the brain’s neural connections, accelerating learning and improving retention. Offering simulation exercises and role-playing is a great way to help employees put their knowledge to practice and make the theoretical tangible. When an employee understands how to deal with a compliance issue in real time, they're no longer just taking in information; they're embodying an experience so they know how to react if a similar situation ever occurs. 

Utilize interactive technologies 

If you’re still relying on white boards, picking scenarios out of a hat, or an online spinning wheel for interaction, it’s time to update your training with modern technology to better engage your employees. Cutting-edge tools like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) can provide immersive experiences that make training more exciting and interesting. 

Research suggests that we remember 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, and a staggering 90% of what we do. Interactive technologies take training to the realm of doing and seeing, rather than simply reading an article or watching a video. And the more senses you engage, the more likely the information is to stick! 

Imagine stepping into a realistic compliance scenario, where every decision you make actually changes the story’s outcome. A compliance video game doesn’t sound half bad, does it? VR and AR can do just that by providing real-world, interactive experiences employees need to practice compliance concepts. AR and VR are the next best thing to on-the-job training, without the risk of real-world mistakes. 

Gamify your training 

It’s no secret that our society loves games—from sports and fitness to board games, video games, and more, nearly everyone engages in some type of game. When it comes to training, gamification can boost engagement, increase information retention, and encourage correct application of compliance information. 

Adding leaderboards and rewards, like virtual badges and tangible incentives, to training modules can turn compliance into a friendly competition and reinforce good training behaviors. You might also consider using a gamified training course that immerses learners in a story to add interest and excitement. Ultimately, compliance content that incorporates achievements and milestones, as well as interactive elements, gives employees clear, tangible goals to strive for, making the learning process feel like a series of wins.  

Continuous feedback and improvement 

By prioritizing a culture of two-way communication, employees will feel less like passive learners and more like active contributors to their own learning. Invite your team to provide feedback through surveys, open forums, or even dedicated feedback sessions. When employees have a say in how they're learning, engagement skyrockets. 

It’s up to you to update, revise, and refresh your training content using the feedback you receive from your team. This iterative process ensures that your compliance training stays current and relevant, and that employees are learning and complying with your organization's policies. Compliance isn't static; it's a continually evolving topic, and your training materials should reflect that dynamism. 

Curating compliance training 

It’s time to transform compliance training from a dreaded requirement into a valuable and enjoyable part of your organization's culture. These strategies will not only elevate your training but also build a workforce of informed employees who approach their work responsibly. To effectively introduce new compliance training, make sure you’re curating content that’s relevant to your business’s unique needs.  

We can help with this if you’re stuck or looking to change up your current strategy. Go1 provides compliance courses based on location, business size, and industry needs. We’re here to help you look at compliance through a new lens—not as a box-checking exercise, but as an opportunity for professional growth, risk management, and, above all, ethical practice. 

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