The government sector is a constantly evolving industry. Their directive from the public, those who work in government have to be quick on their feet and able to face new challenges. The need for transparency and trust makes compliance with federal, state, and local laws a necessity yet, many government jobs do not have the tools needs to ensure that compliance.
If you want to reduce the risk of non-compliance in your government job, use these tips to help staff adapt to a constantly changing landscape.
Make Information Easy to Access
Outside the rare case of outright fraud, non-compliance is often unintended. Employees are unsure of policies or simply don’t take the time to research further into an issue, resulting in incorrect information being shared and perpetuated. One easy step to increase compliance is to ensure that employees have access to any necessary documents and policies at all times. An online employee portal is a simple way for employees to access information both in the office and in the field to ensure they disseminate the correct information no matter their location. Improving compliance requires accurate information and an online document portal can help government employees best.
Always Be Documenting
Non-compliance due to neglect isn’t as uncommon as it seems. There are some employees who simply don’t have the attention to detail required for government work. They either are unable to perform the job appropriately or can’t develop the tools to ensure their job is done correctly. Providing and requiring documentation at every step of a job is one way to ensure compliance. Create simple templates for employees to document interactions with the public and co-workers, taking special care to outline the necessary steps to meet compliance. By having reminders embedded in documentation, employees are more likely to stay compliant and employers have the necessary paperwork to track when compliance isn’t being met.
Create a Training System
Proper training is imperative to obtaining widespread compliance. Ensuring that employees are able and educated to perform their job is essential yet many employers assume on-the-job training is sufficient. While valuable, on-the-job training not only increases the chance of new employees receiving incorrect information but also doesn’t provide them with the knowledge necessary to perform all job duties. Having a training system in place guards against non-compliance due to ignorance because each employee can be trained to meet competencies and learn specific information .
Build In Safeguards
People aren’t perfect. Even your best manager can have a bad week where invoices are missed or employees poorly trained, resulting in a compliance nightmare. Creating a system that safeguards against non-compliance is a simple way to protect your employees and your workplace. A workforce management system can help managers identify compliance issues such as your agency not having the right paperwork for employee competency or preventing unintended payroll issues. Using alerts when overtime is being accrued and providing prompting when assessing unusual daily situations, managers can feel more confident while performing their jobs and employees don’t have to worry about whether they are compliant or not. Creating a system that guards against mistakes is a simple way to prevent non-compliance in the government sector.
Compliance isn’t easy, particularly in the highly scrutinized government sector, but with some training, education, and documentation, managers can ensure that they meet a high bar. If you worry that your workplace isn’t as compliant as it could be, start with these four steps for increasing compliance through education and communication.
