Once companies establish effective policies, their job is only partially done. Through collaboration and education, leaders must find ways to coach, encourage, reinforce performance expectations, and guarantee compliance where necessary with their documented procedures throughout the organization. Businesses can only accomplish this by implementing multiple communication channels that reach every level of the company.
Although this effort may seem overwhelming, it can be significantly easier with online dissemination tools and platforms. While business leaders have several options, the best solutions integrate these five features.
Ensure that the executives have ownership: The first step to enabling organizational compliance involves management at all levels. Policies are often developed by someone who does not have a meaningful understanding of the daily operations within each department. Involving representatives from every department ensures that the new policies are not misunderstood, reflect the correct terminology and rhetoric, and make sense to the employee.
Identify the optimum policy format for each department: Each department in an organization has varied personalities, schedules, and daily workflows. To foster compliance with procedures in each unique environment, the delivery mechanism must exist in a format the employees recognize and can easily consume. For instance, while some employees may work all day at a desktop, others may be in a warehouse or in another remote location with a smartphone or visiting customers. The format of the policies needs to make sense for each of them.
Enable company-wide, easy accessibility to policies and procedures: Many employees have no idea where to find a specific policy online, especially when they are faced with files and folders named with cryptic file names only the creator understands. Management should ensure that all files, folders, and documents are organized logically and clearly so that any employee can find what they need with three mouse clicks maximum. If employees become frustrated trying to find the exact file they need, they may give up and forego compliance altogether.
Set deadlines for acknowledgment: Each relevant employee should acknowledge the policies and procedures that apply to them by a specific date, but this doesn’t mean simply having them check a box. Once the policies and procedures have been developed, documented, and made accessible, schedule weekly team or individual coaching meetings to establish a plan for ensuring ongoing employee education and knowledge sharing.
Determine the most effective means to gauge company-wide understanding: Each policy and procedure will require different levels of knowledge to be the most effective. Standardized responses may be acceptable for some guidelines. Still, others may require employees to practice the activity, role play, attend seminars, take quizzes, and collaborate with others to gain a comprehensive understanding of performance expectations and compliance. Automating this step through centralized communication forums, online testing, or Q&A sessions can maximize efficiency.
How KLONE Can Help
The KLONE Organizer is an online portal that aggregates all of your company’s information into one dynamic knowledge base. Regardless of the document’s original format, it is easily integrated into the system and filed systematically in a logical and searchable database.
Managers and executives can upload all relevant policies and procedures, as well as training videos, required forms, and presentations, saved in any format. All documents are accessible to employees with appropriate approvals.
The Organizer allows organizations to engage and enable communication and best practice sharing between employees. When employees are taught during their onboarding to search for any needed documentation or information, it provides robust knowledge transfer with maximum efficiency – and without wasting resources or sacrificing compliance.
Call today to learn more about what KLONE can offer your company.