One thing I’m asked about often is how we manage compliance.
As a company that has grown exponentially in the last 5+ years, compliance is an element that is always at the forefront of what we do.
Here’s why.
The Importance of Compliance for Your Business
Being compliant is making sure that you are meeting the requirements established by the government. This is something most know, but fewer understand the various steps involved in the process and the importance of investing in it.
Reviewing these requirements and being aware of any changes to them are both crucial steps to take before beginning any business venture.
Not confirming your compliance creates risk that could result in serious consequences.
The consequence can come in the shape of a fine, but it can come in the form of a tarnished business reputation. Of course, you don’t want either of these associated with your company.
Brent Levison Establishes a Compliance Culture in On Point Global Miami
One thing that I always tell fellow business owners is that you need to know your strengths – and you need to know where you need help.
With a fair amount of knowledge in the area of compliance, I understand its importance. But I know that On Point Global requires more insight than mine alone. After all, you can never be too compliant.
That’s why I like to surround myself with teams of individuals who know everything there is to know about compliance in data and other aspects of On Point’s business model.
This means that I’m always speaking with counsel and getting their opinions on every aspect of our websites. Additionally, I’m asking about recent law changes and requesting that I be updated whenever there is a new change.
Oftentimes, a new law is introduced that requires us to make some changes. So it’s crucial that we learn about it as soon as possible so that we can make the necessary adjustments.
I may not be the one who handles every element of it, but as my colleagues will tell you, “Brent Levison is always checking on compliance.” But more than just making sure that everyone I work with grasps the importance of adhering to government requirements, I’ve also made sure the appropriate training is provided so that employees know what to look out for.
Compliance Training at On Point Global
After bringing the concept of compliance to the forefront at On Point Global Miami, the next step was to sit down with our team to discuss it. There were two main points that myself and our legal advisors covered:
- What compliance is and why it matters
- How we can maintain a compliance culture on a daily basis
By discussing these two main areas, we could take this idea that often starts out as a confusing concept and turn it into a practice that we can engage in every single day.
When discussing why compliance matters, the literature that you get from advisors or that you can find online is clear. If you’re meeting government requirements, your business can flourish risk-free. If you’re not, then you’re likely to face consequences.
The area that required a bit more explanation was how we were establishing (and going to maintain) a culture of compliance through daily practice. On my end, this was simple. It meant staying up to date on changes to relevant laws and seeking out advice on how we could modify our owned domains to meet all compliance laws.
For the rest of the team, adopting a compliance culture meant changing the way that they approached each project, albeit slightly.
It meant that project managers, content writers, designers and developers needed to ask these questions before each major decision:
- How would I perceive this website if I weren’t an employee of On Point Global?
- How would I interpret the content, design and overall user experience?
- How clear is our messaging?
- Does our website fully inform the user of their protections?
- How can we improve upon existing templates based on a new law?
But asking these questions and ensuring we could provide the right answers to them was only part of the equation. After all, one thing that we’ve all learned at On Point Global is that compliance is not a matter that is black and white. There is a significant amount of gray area.
That’s where the legal help comes in.
If ever any of our team members feels like there is confusing gray area in the language of a new law as it relates to our operations, I make sure to seek counsel.
Confusion or any kind of doubt is the first cue that you need professional advice – and it’s crucial that you be attuned to these cues whenever they present themselves. You can’t operate from a place of assumptions, because that leaves you open to the worst kind of surprises.
Given various types of new legislation like the CCPA, I’ve been seeking counsel often to make sure that On Point Global websites are compliant and that users know everything they need to about our business.
Furthermore, as we get advice from other legal professionals, I make sure to establish company-wide standards that everyone must adhere to for meeting compliance.
2 Key Standards of On Point Global Compliance
One such standard is continuous self-assessment. Not only myself but all of our managers and team leads who are in a position to make business-impacting decisions must continually assess whether or not our website(s) are being compliant based on current and new legislation.
Another key standard is injecting our compliance culture into the quality assurance process for all site launches. By that I mean making compliance checks an established step that each team member on our QA team needs to complete as they review sites for user experience and more.
By establishing internal standards for government compliance and making sure that these standards pervade all of our business activities, we can eliminate risk and ensure that our company is following best legal practices in the short run as well as the long run.