A new study from Skillsoft, a global leader in corporate learning, has found that Health & Safety teams are struggling with time-intensive manual processes to track employee training along with a lack of automation for delivering said training. A failure to automate operations with technology means these teams have less time to deliver the real value of their expertise – developing strategy, embedding training and helping employees across their organisation make the right compliance decisions.
The study, carried out in June at the Safety and Health Expo 2019 in London, revealed more than three quarters (76%) of teams are using manual processes to track employee understanding and engagement with compliance policies and related training material. Typically, this includes company-wide road shows and Toolbox Talks (24%), individual interviews (19%), surveys (18%) and logging policy responses (15%).
The legal, financial and reputational risks associated with compliance failures are significant. As a result, compliance is now a central part of business operations and the broader corporate strategy. Compliance and Health & Safety teams need to go beyond simply rolling out a compliance programme – they need to demonstrate employees understand it and actively buy into it.
Automation is key. However, the study found just 35% of Health & Safety teams can evaluate employee comprehension and understanding of critical risk issues automatically. Almost half (44%) are either unable to run automated evaluations or choose not to run any evaluations whatsoever.
The study also revealed it could take up to a month for the majority (70%) of teams to run a full compliance audit report on employees. More than half (52%) stated their organisation cannot track employee attestation with electronic signatures to signal engagement with compliance policies.
Other key highlights of the study include:
- More than half (57%) of Health & Safety teams struggle to provide localised training content, policy documents and operating procedures in different languages.
- Nearly three quarters (71%) stated that the Health and Safety training technology currently available is not specific enough for their organisation. Only a quarter (25%) believe the current technology is relevant for their business. Four percent responded that it is not at all relevant.
- Although the majority (70%) of Health & Safety professionals believe technology complements what they already do, 13% believe it has no role whatsoever and 5% believe it would make no difference.
“There is huge pressure on Health & Safety professionals to ensure they stay ahead of changes in the law and developments in compliance strategy, all while bringing a real-world, practical approach to promoting a lawful and ethical culture in their organisation,” said Andy Nickolls Senior Director of Compliance Solutions, EMEA, Skillsoft. “This survey suggests many seem reluctant to adopt new technology, but the right solutions can help compliance professionals do far more than simply satisfy legal requirements. Technology can help Compliance and Health & Safety professionals quickly establish understanding across the entire organisation and free them up to focus on developing more innovative strategies that support broader corporate strategy.”
