As a business owner, you know how important it is to have staff who abide by your company’s policies. Deviation from these rules can compromise your business and lead to legal repercussions, but despite this, it isn’t always easy to ensure that employees follow the rules. You know that a punitive approach is often ineffective, so how can you cultivate a culture of compliance and incentivize employees to follow company rules? Check out the following four tips to improve staff members’ adherence to rules and minimize unnecessary liabilities.
Publicize the Most Important Rules
Ignorance is one of the most common causes of noncompliance. Even if a rule is covered in training and reiterated afterward, some staff members may fail to comprehend its application, and in turn, they may violate it. This can be prevented by effectively publicizing your company’s most important rules. In addition to visual reminders posted throughout the workplace, you should have intermittent comprehension checks with employees. This can be a casual, low-pressure interaction that simply serves to remind staff members of important regulations. If an employee indicates they are unaware of a particular procedure, this is an opportunity for clarification.
Apply Rules Consistently and Fairly
It isn’t enough to simply implement regulations. Your company regulations must be applied consistently, too. If a rule exists, all employees must follow it, and if a rule is broken, all violations must be addressed the same way. Rules that are applied inconsistently or unfairly are not effective, and this inconsistency will only foster confusion and resentment amongst your company’s employees. Addressing a broken rule is tricky, but it can be done tactfully by being specific, clear, and firm with the employee in question.
Frame Rules in a Positive Light
Many employers try to implement workplace policies by reminding employees what they can’t and shouldn’t do. Instead, try framing rules in a positive light and telling employees about what they can and should do. This technique is especially helpful if you happen to be implementing a new rule for staff members. Rather than focusing on the rule in a negative context, communicate it to employees using positive and affirming language. This can help employees view the new standard receptively, and it can help them understand it better, too.
Invest in Thorough Staff Training
When it comes to company compliance, there is no tool better than training. Training lays the foundation of your staff members’ performance, so you should use this period to instill the most important company policies in a clear and effective way. Rather than simply communicating rules, you should provide new hires with examples that demonstrate their importance, and encourage new employees to reiterate company policies in their own words.
About InsureMyWorkComp
InsureMyWorkComp is a digital brokerage that helps clients find the right workers’ compensation solution for their business needs. Unlike other online platforms, we will help you to work with an agent who can provide you the right solution for your risk profile. Our staff has over 50 years of workers’ compensation underwriting and sales experience, and we are confident that we will provide you the support that you need. For more information or to get a quote, contact us today at (855) 340-9138.