All Australian businesses and companies are governed by certain rules and regulations no matter what industry you are operating in. In order to avoid trouble, potential fines or even having your business shut down, it needs to be compliant.
That’s why compliance management is so important. In this article, we’ll take a look at what compliance management is exactly, why you should care, and some tools to help make it easier to remain on the right side of the law.
What Is Compliance Management?
Compliance management encompasses learning and fully comprehending the rules and regulations that govern your particular industry in Australia. Some of these regulations will pertain to all Australian businesses, such as following Workplace Health & Safety standards and procedures, while others will be specific to your type of enterprise.
Read also: Importance of EHS and EHS software
The first step of effective compliance management then is to have a firm grasp on what is required of you and your employees. One of the most effective compliance management solutions is to hire a dedicated compliance manager.
Once everyone is aware of and understands any and all rules and regulations that govern your industry, it’s a matter of putting all that into practice. Compliance management also entails regularly monitoring your business processes to ensure they remain within the law.
Why You Should Care About Being Compliant
You don’t want any legal issues when running your business. All you really want to have to be concerned about at the end of the day is whether your customers/clients are satisfied and business is doing well financially.
If you’re not compliant, you risk being fined or facing a lawsuit, neither of which has a very bright outcome. Ultimately, if it’s deemed you’ve been careless or reckless in adhering to the laws, authorities could order you to shut down your business.
This is a key reason why you really need to sit up and take notice of what’s required, and a solid reason why you might want to consider hiring someone in the compliance manager role. You may only need them part-time, depending on the size and scope of your operation.
As mentioned earlier, it’s not just up to the bosses or compliance professionals to be aware of what’s required and to follow the rules. Every single staff member needs to be educated on the matter and be diligent about compliance. Only then can you be assured that your business will find favor in the eyes of the law.
Consider Compliance Risk Management Software for Your Business
In the tech age, there are a number of risk and compliance software solutions on the market, so you’re certain to find just the right management tools and software to suit your requirements. You might choose software that focuses on compliance management only, or a combination of compliance management as well as risk management.
It doesn’t matter whether you decide to hire and employ a compliance manager or not, having dedicated software to do the job so much easier is really a no-brainer. You can even purchase software that’s been tailor-made for your specific business.
The software will keep the processes of both compliance management and risk management organised, streamlined, and easy to monitor. The software will save you time and could potentially save the life of your company, as it can detect where your business might be lacking when it comes to the rules and regulations you must follow. With detailed analytics, a trained person can see at a glance whether everything is in line with what’s required, or if your business might be at risk in some area so it can be corrected.
Compliance management software will have in-built features for registering your obligations with the appropriate registers, central and control libraries and more. There are even smartphone apps available so business owners, management and the compliance manager can see where things stand even when out and about. Run analytics to determine where your business stands at any time.
The Takeaway
For peace of mind, longevity in your industry and a continually profitable enterprise, every business needs to be aware of the laws that govern your industry and learn how to consistently remain compliant with those laws at all times.
Hire a compliance manager and purchase dedicated software to ensure your company is safe.
