Published on 13th November 2020
Following the science is a common refrain in these Covid times. Getting to grips with the various strands of regulatory compliance and finding the right formula for boosting industry standards have been ongoing priorities within the employment and HR services arena for a while. But there is no doubt that the current crisis is focusing minds on the science of compliance and on how the global industry can use this to cure latent misperceptions once and for all.
Policy makers, workers and employers are operating in an increasingly compliance conscious environment. A good example of this is the observation by Charles Cameron, RCSA CEO and WEC Vice President, that “businesses need to make sure they have the right procedures in place and that they are working with the right suppliers; the crisis has intensified the focus on compliance”. Below are five reasons that the pandemic is shining the light on this area:
Evolving regulatory requirements and a volatile external environment means that compliance is always moving on. But the industry is geared up to deal with this constant mutation and it was good to hear Elaine Zhang, Secretary General of CAFST, the Chinese federation, make the point during one of our recent interviews that “One thing that never changes is change; the key for the HR services sector lies in our agility and adaptability to this change”.
In the words of a leading compliance guru I used to work with: “Compliance must be complied with”. This mantra may be a little tongue in cheek but the fundamental truth that lies beneath it is that compliance is about mind-set, it is about recognising that it matters. For the global HR services sector, continuing to master the science of compliance and spreading the word on ethics and professional standards are vital components of the formula for repositioning the industry in the so-called New Normal.
This post is part of a series where we explore the key themes that emerged from the conversations with national federations and corporate leaders within the Alliance Task Force. The series is signed by Tom Hadley, an external advocacy and campaigns consultant and former Director of Policy & Campaigns at the REC, the professional body for the UK’s recruitment and employment industry. He is currently leading the World Employment Confederation’s ‘Alliance Task-force’ project.