Whenever you hear about a bizarre law like “you can’t tie an alligator to a fire hydrant in Michigan,” it’s tempting to laugh and write it off as nonsense. But dig a little deeper, and most of these laws are totally reasonable. That “alligator” law? It’s actually just about keeping fire hydrants clear in case of emergencies.
Here’s the thing: A lot of compliance training works the same way.
Behind every regulation is a real-world risk. Behind every training module should be an important behavior change.
So why do so many compliance programs fail?
We recently spoke to 100 compliance and HR leaders at small and medium-sized businesses across the U.S. The biggest takeaways? There are three major reasons compliance training mistakes keep happening:
Training is Treated Like a Technicality
Tick the box. Sign the form. Play the mandatory video in the background while answering emails.
That’s how most employees experience compliance training. It’s passive, outdated, and forgettable.
In fact, 39% of leaders told us their employees don’t retain anything after the session. That’s not just a failed compliance program but a missed opportunity to actually reduce risk.
The Content Doesn’t Reflect Today’s Workplace
When your training talks about fax machine policies but ignores things like AI ethics or elder financial abuse, people check out.
Our survey showed:
If the world has changed, your training should too.
There’s No Connection to Real Life
A policy is only as strong as the behavior it drives. And employees don’t change behavior from reading a PDF or deck or watching a lengthy video.
Then, what DOES work?
- Interactive lessons
- Short videos
- Case studies from real situations
- Quick quizzes that reinforce learning (not punish mistakes)
These aren’t gimmicks. They’re tools to improve retention to make sure the message sticks.
The Real Risk: Forgettable = Ineffective
It doesn’t matter how serious your policies are; if no one remembers them, you’re exposed.
It’s not that tying an alligator to a hydrant is a common problem. It’s that someone once blocked access during a fire, and the city had to make sure it never happened again.
Retention matters. Engagement matters.
That’s how we prevent issues before they make headlines—or courtrooms.
Let’s Build Training That Sticks
At SkillUp, we believe compliance content can be engaging without losing its seriousness. It can be personalized, current, and even enjoyable (imagine that!).
Let’s make sure your team isn’t tying metaphorical alligators to hydrants.
Want to find out more? Connect with me at [email protected] for a walkthrough of SkillUp’s modern solutions. I’ll show you how to turn compliance from a checkbox into a competitive advantage.
Kriti Kamra
Compliance Training Expert
SkillUp
