Boosting Policy Engagement and Communication for Organizational Success

External threats aren't the only dangers organizations face. Internal risks, from inadvertent mistakes to malicious actions, can be equally damaging. Traditional firewalls protect against hackers, but what shields your organization from internal vulnerabilities?

Enter the Human Firewall—an essential defense built from well-crafted policies, clear communication, and engaged employees.

What is the Human Firewall?

A human firewall refers to the collective efforts of an organization's employees to protect against internal threats through adherence to well-communicated policies and procedures.

Unlike traditional firewalls that defend against external cyber threats, a human firewall emphasizes the role of employees in maintaining security and compliance.

By understanding and following organizational policies, employees become a critical line of defense against inadvertent mistakes and malicious activities.

This approach relies on continuous education, training, and engagement to ensure that all staff members are aware of their responsibilities and the potential risks, thereby creating a culture of security and vigilance within the organization.

A human firewall is created through consistent policy management and engagement. Organizations must clearly communicate and enforce policies to protect against unwanted employee behavior.

The Policy Management Capability Model (PMCM) is a framework that ensures policies are current and relevant. This model includes two vital components:

• Communicate: Establishing a risk-based and ongoing communication and training approach for each policy, using skilled personnel and relevant tools for design, delivery, attestation, and outcome measurement.
• Enforce: Implementing tasks, methods, and processes for the enforcement and assurance of policies.

How to Ensure Policies are Effectively Communicated

Effective communication of policies is paramount for organizational efficiency, risk management, compliance, and maintaining a culture of responsibility and ethics. Statistics show that 60% of organizations fail to communicate their policies effectively, leading to compliance violations and increased risks.

The Policy Management Communication Model (PMCM) provides a framework to help organizations improve policy communication. Key recommendations include:

• Standardize Templates and Style Guides: Ensure policies are easily identifiable and consistently written.
• Centralized Policy Portal: Create a single, easily accessible location for all policies, making it simple for employees to find the information they need.
• Automate Processes: Implement automated tasks and workflows to handle policy-related activities, reminders, and updates through email and text notifications.

Even with initial success in policy communication, keeping policies aligned with the dynamic business environment is challenging. Organizations must continuously update and notify employees of relevant policy changes to ensure ongoing compliance and alignment with current practices.

Engaging Employees with Policy Communications and Training

Policy management professionals are leveraging interactive technologies to engage employees with relevant policy communications and training content optimally. This involves delivering the right type of policy content at the right time and place.

For example, a sales executive in a bribery-prone country receives an instant text with information on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which she can access on her cell phone for detailed guidance.

Creating such a context is crucial for developing next-generation policy lifecycle management capabilities. A unified policy portal significantly increases policy management efficiency and strengthens legal defensibility when issues arise.

Optimizing the policy management lifecycle involves two key components:

1. Comprehensive Communications and Awareness Plan: Develop a detailed plan covering policy communication and training activities.
2. Engaging Employees with Interactive Policies: Utilize advanced technology to engage employees in their roles effectively.

Recognizing Policy Management’s Evolution

The policy management profession is shifting from a back-office focus to a front-line focus. A decade ago, 90% of policy management solution requests centered on back-office processes. Today, there is a significant shift towards front-office issues, emphasizing interactive communication of policies to employees.

To establish this engagement, policy management professionals must understand their audience. Key strategies include:

• Tailor Policy Content: Customize content to fit employees' roles, languages, learning styles, and device preferences for effective communication.
• Leverage Data Analytics: Track employee engagement with policy content to identify which policies are understood and adhered to, and which ones need further clarification.
• Incorporate Feedback Mechanisms: Allow employees to ask questions and provide input on policies, fostering a two-way communication channel that enhances understanding and compliance.

Integrating these strategies ensures that employees are well-informed and helps build a culture of continuous improvement and compliance within the organization.

Building an Effective Policy Communication Team

A comprehensive communications plan should include:

• Overall Goals: Define the objectives of the policy communication plan, ensuring clarity on what the organization aims to achieve.
• Audience Segmentation: Identify the unique needs of each audience segment to tailor the communication approach effectively.
• Budget and Staffing: Allocate sufficient resources, including budget and personnel, for effective policy management.
• Accessibility Considerations: Ensure all communications are understandable and actionable for all employees, considering diverse needs and capabilities.
• Success Measures: Define metrics to measure the effectiveness of the communication plan, such as engagement rates and compliance levels.
• Alignment with Organizational Culture: Ensure policy communications are consistent with the organization's culture, code of conduct, and training conventions.
• Support from Key Stakeholders: Gain buy-in from leadership and other key stakeholders to reinforce the importance of policy adherence.

Effective policy management teams often include representatives from HR, compliance, and legal departments, as well as several policy owners. These teams conduct risk-based assessments to ensure policy communications and training are relevant, timely, and aligned with the organization's goals and regulatory requirements. Regular collaboration and review within these teams help maintain the accuracy and effectiveness of policy communication strategies.

Enhancing Engagement through Greater Accessibility

Advanced policy management systems are designed to house and organize policies in a unified location, making them more accessible and engaging for employees. Key functionalities of these systems include:

• Geolocation Technology: Delivers location-specific policy information to employees.
• Gamification: Incorporates game-like elements to make policy training more engaging.
• Social Media Integration: Uses familiar platforms to share and discuss policy updates.
• Chatbots: Provides instant answers to policy-related questions.
• Video: Offers dynamic and easily digestible policy training content.
• Natural Language Processing (NLP): Enables employees to search for policies using everyday language.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI): Personalizes policy content and recommendations based on employee roles and behavior.

These advanced features enable employees to access policy information and training modules as needed and allow policy management professionals to push relevant content to employees efficiently. The most effective systems are intuitive, adaptive, personal, and accessible, ensuring employees receive the right information at the right time, thereby deepening engagement and compliance.

Strengthening Legal Defensibility with Evidential Support

Policy management systems should provide "evidential weight," enhancing the defensibility of policy communications and training efforts. This capability is crucial when organizations face scrutiny from regulatory or legal authorities. A robust policy management system enables executives to:

• Access historical records of policies.
• Pinpoint specific communication dates.
• Track training activities and comprehension tests.

These features ensure that organizations can demonstrate compliance efforts and the effectiveness of their policy communication strategies when examined by regulatory or legal entities.

Aligning Policies with Organizational Culture

For policies to be effective, they must reflect an organization's culture. Established organizations often have structured, formal policies, while startups may adopt more informal, flexible approaches. Aligning policies with the organizational culture is essential for operational efficiency and harmony.

Policies should reflect:

• Organizational Values: Ensure policies are in line with the core values of the organization.
• Employee Attitudes: Tailor policies to address what matters most to employees.
• Norms of Behavior: Clearly define acceptable and unacceptable behaviors in the workplace to maintain a cohesive and respectful environment.

Organizations can create a more harmonious and efficient work environment by aligning policies with these cultural elements.

Integrating Policies and Training for Better Engagement

Organizations often struggle with policy engagement and training, especially when using scattered portals and disconnected systems. Modern workforces, including Millennials, Gen Z, and remote workers, require a unified policy portal that integrates both policies and training.

A unified portal should be:

• Engaging and Intuitive: Allow employees to easily find and access the information they need.
• Accessible Across Devices: Ensure the portal is available on desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

By providing a centralized and user-friendly platform, organizations can enhance policy engagement and ensure that employees are well-informed and properly trained.

The Importance of Strong Policies

Strong policies are crucial for defining an organization's governance posture, corporate culture, behavioral boundaries, and objectives. Without well-crafted and managed policies, an organization may drift from its intended path, increasing risks and inefficiencies.

Policies articulate:

• Governance Culture: Define acceptable and unacceptable behavior within the organization.
• Risk Culture: Establish responsibilities for risk management and reduce biases in decision-making.
• Culture of Compliance: Ensure adherence to legal, regulatory, and ethical standards.

Policies are foundational for governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC). They enable an organization to reliably achieve objectives, address uncertainties, and act with integrity.

Effective policy engagement and communication are critical for organizational success. By establishing robust policy management practices, engaging employees with interactive and accessible policies, and ensuring alignment with the organizational culture, organizations can effectively manage risks, ensure compliance, and foster a culture of responsibility and ethics. Creating a human firewall through these strategies not only enhances operational efficiency but also strengthens the organization’s resilience and integrity in the face of challenges.