Due to the events of the past few years, it is now more important than ever for companies to take an honest look at their workforce and reevaluate the importance of fair hiring practices. Despite affirmative action programs being set in place for several decades, however, many employees still don’t understand their purpose.
This is largely due to misconceptions surrounding affirmative action compliance programs and the role of compliance professionals in the workplace. When employees hear the phrase “compliance professionals,” they often mistakenly assume that compliance teams are in place to police every move they make. In reality, affirmative action compliance is about addressing difficult issues and finding sustainable solutions. Compliance professionals help employees understand their company’s affirmative action policies and work with legal teams to implement productive policies.
In short, compliance professionals are there to help businesses build better futures, not hinder them. Many companies have fallen into the trap of burdening their lawyers and HR professionals with duties that should be delegated to compliance teams, though. Fortunately, with the right framework for compliance training, compliance teams can take on those duties and learn how to implement better affirmative action compliance programs for everyone involved.
Compliance Challenges in Today’s Workplace
While the importance of compliance training can’t be overstated, many companies allocate minimal budgets and staff toward their compliance teams. Usually, compliance professionals have a main job and are tasked with making compliance their “side job.” If organizations want to meet only the technical requirements of affirmative action regulations, this might suffice. However, a successful affirmative action compliance program requires much more time and attention from a compliance team — something they can’t always give.
Effective affirmative action programs require thoughtful preparation, implementation, and regular engagement. In many cases, company leaders must figure out how to implement an affirmative action plan with limited resources because no matter how time-intensive and expensive, compliance training is critical for success.
At many companies, employees view affirmative action compliance as a paperwork exercise that requires extensive reporting and identifying problem areas. But compliance professionals do far more than that: They ensure that everyone gets the opportunity to earn a living and succeed on their merits. For them to do that job well, everyone in a company has to rally around affirmative action initiatives — and that requires them to understand affirmative action in the first place and trust the expertise of the people leading compliance initiatives.
The 3 Levels of Compliance Certification
At Biddle Consulting Group, we’re developing three compliance certifications designed to equip compliance professionals with the information they need in order to refine their expertise and help their companies meet their compliance goals. These levels of certification include:
1. Nailing the basics
The first level of certification will focus on the day-to-day tasks performed by compliance professionals. In short, this is the “what” of compliance work. Training at this level focuses on what is required of compliance teams, as well as what shouldn’t be tolerated. At this stage, compliance professionals will cover best practices and build a stronger understanding of why the training is necessary.
2. Understanding how to implement compliance programs
There are several ways to build an affirmative action program, some more successful than others. To combat the reality that most people will have differing opinions on how the affirmative action program should look, this part of the training establishes compliance professionals as the sole experts in the workplace who should ultimately decide the look and feel of the affirmative action program at play. By establishing compliance as the expert team steering the ship, the affirmative action program has a better chance of being successfully implemented and maintained.
3. Begin developing more effective affirmative action compliance programs
After gaining a greater understanding of what the goals of a compliance team should be and establishing expertise, it’s time to take your compliance program to the next level. This involves analyzing statistics, interpreting results, investigating trends, and then repeating the cycle as necessary. Level three of the certification process enables teams to keep developmental work in-house and maintain lower costs.
While compliance professionals face many challenges, our robust training programs can help them foster an understanding of compliance initiatives and the importance of affirmative action, all while further establishing their expertise. To learn more, get in touch with Biddle Consulting Group today.
