For many industries the role played by compliance is increasing, whether through legislation and regulation, or by more competitive and demanding supply chains mandating conformance to international standards.
Although everyone in an organisation has some responsibilities for compliance, there will often be roles and authorities assigned to a smaller number of individuals.
Organisations grow and change over time which is often a positive thing, but it also introduces risks such as loss of organisational knowledge and gaps in compliance activities.
More and more at Assent Risk Management we are supporting clients during a time of change, either through temporary compliance cover or more long term outsourcing of roles.
How resilient is your compliance framework and can you maintain compliance continuity?
What is Compliance Continuity?
When we think about “compliance continuity” we’re really talking about maintaining all the operational processes that ensure your organisation remains compliant with laws, regulations, contracts, international standards and any other frameworks you subscribe to.
Compliance covers a broad spectrum of must-do items through to nice-to-have competitive advantages.
However, being compliant or conforming to a standard is not a one-time event.
There are many recurring tasks that need to be managed such as maintaining high-levels of staff training, auditing processes, submission of regulatory documents, client questionnaires, responding to incidents and so on.
Compliance continuity is achieved through a mature organisational culture, however this can be impacted by simple changes such as a compliance manager leaving the business, or a new requirement that you don’t have internal competence to manage.
How can I maintain Continuity of Compliance?
Compliance must be supported by the leadership, which means not only providing the financial and time resources needed but also setting the tone and culture of the organisation, bringing everyone along together.
Risk management is often a key function of compliance and all management system standards including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001, ISO 45001 feature a requirement to consider risks and opportunities. This is not only in respect of the subject (quality, environmental, infosec or safety) but also threats to the management system itself.
You can mitigate many of these risks through engaging an outsource provider such as Assent Risk Management. Here’s why…
How Assent Provides Compliance Continuity
At Assent Risk Management we have years and years of experience establishing and maintaining compliance frameworks for clients, often resulting in ISO Certification and other accolades.
And we have a huge network of competent consultants and auditors spanning many different geographical locations, industry experiences and discipline expertise.
We continually ‘horizon scan’ to monitor for legal updates and changes in compliance culture that you need to know about.
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Engaging Assent to cover a gap in your compliance gives you instant access to all these resources.
However, outsourcing to Assent gives you much more on top. We’ll take time to onboard with your organisation, understanding your unique needs and requirements, and build an outsource service around that.
We’ll define key responsibilities and establish regular check-points and KPIs which can be reported throughout the organisation to ensure your organisation remains protected and improving.
You’ll have a named compliance lead who works with you supported by our whole team of consultants and back-office staff, meaning you always have somewhere to turn for help.
Examples of Outsourced Compliance Roles
While every solution is customised for the needs of the client, there are some broad categories of compliance roles that are commonly the basis of our consultancy or outsourcing service, including:
- Outsourced Compliance Manager Service
- Outsourced Quality Manager Service
- Outsourced Information Security Manager Service
- Outsourced Environmental Manager Service
- Outsourced Health & Safety Manager Service
Commonly this takes the form of a main contact supported by our other consultants and back-office team, but in some more complex situations we can build your own virtual compliance team bringing in multiple key consultants to provide specialist expertise and support.
Can I Stop Outsourcing and Bring Compliance Inhouse?
Yes of course and many of our engagements are intended to just cover a gap while you recruit a new internal resource.
Exiting outsourcing is a structured processes where we will offboard by briefing your internal team on everything they need to know including:
- A compliance calendar of relevant dates,
- Any open incidents or nonconformities,
- Minutes from the latest forums or steering groups,
- Risks, Opportunities and objectives,
- Status of KPIs
- And more.
Do you need Compliance Support?
If any of the above resonates with you and you think you might need to strengthen your compliance continuity now or in the future, start the conversation with us today! Contact us for a chat.
