By Adam Turteltaub
adam.turteltaub@corporatecompliance.org
The Internet talks too much these days. And sings. And plays music. Page after page now is filled with ads that don’t just pop up, they also start singing, and talking and doing everything they can to get me to pay attention to them, instead of to what I want to see.
It sometimes feels as if in front of every web page is a four-year-old child desperate for my attention and to keep me from doing what I want to do.
I understand that there’s a purpose to it all. Without those ads, we wouldn’t be able to get all that content for free. But it’s annoying and leaves me reaching for the mute button or to turn down my speakers.
And when it comes to putting up with all this unwanted clamor, I have it easy since I work at home. The SCCE Offices are in Minneapolis, and I live in Los Angeles. So, it’s not like I’m bothering anyone other than myself when a video starts playing loudly and unexpectedly.
In an office, it’s got to be jarring, and that got me to thinking: Wouldn’t it be great if anytime someone started referring in email to things that are non-compliant a training video started playing loudly on their computer? They would be forced to stop what they’re doing and turn down the sound. Meanwhile, everyone around them would know that they were up to something that they shouldn’t have been.
There would be a wave of heads popping up, as everyone would look over the cube walls to see who was crossing the line.
The problem is it may not be technically possible, and employees would likely resent having software scanning their every word. I have to admit it sounds a bit Big Brotherish to me. Not to mention the fact that it may run astray of privacy laws in some countries.
But, I do wonder, though, if maybe we should have something that plays loudly and surprisingly whenever an employee finishes his or her online compliance training. It would give notice to everyone that their peers are completing their courses, and they shouldn’t put it off too long. No one wants to be the guy whose computer sounds the chime of completion long after everyone else has.
Or maybe, attach a balloon to the desk of people who complete their training. Something to draw attention to them and, by extension, to those who have yet to complete their courses.
Sometimes attracting undue attention is bad. But other times, it may be a very good thing…
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Adam.
A point I found in your posting speaks to something that is loud and clear (so you may want to mute your speakers if audio starts playing…and for those curious…indeed there are very simple ways to disable files on webpages from auto playing on websites you visit)…and that is awareness related to people completing their compliance training.
This is rhetorical because I would expect “everyone” to give the right answer at least publicly…how many times or often is the workforce in general notified of how many people have completed their compliance training. I suspect the answer is not very often.
When one considers the pros and cons of sharing compliance training completion rates, perhaps at the department level or even individual level, my position is that there may be more pro than con to do so.
Another aspect that is also present in some guidance documents, to include those put out by HHS-OIG is making compliance a continuing condition of employment as well as creating incentives related to compliance. Again, the timely completion of compliance related training sounds like a good way to subscribe to this type of guidance.
Personally…I use headphones…so if a webpage auto plays…no harm no foul. Of course…if I land on a page where an inviting graphic is competing for my attention and it takes me away from my original plan of action…well hats off to the web page designer for that ad…mission accomplished.
The good news…I still have a choice to click or not to click…and yes…on my own computer, no videos or audio plays automatically…which I am sure helps!
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