Compliance practices often boil down to following rules, regulation and policy that keeps businesses, employees and customers protected – and reputations intact.
The risks of non-compliance, including financial penalties, can be debilitating. Yet compliance often gets a bad rap and compliance practices are regularly ignored.
Why? Well, one reason is that compliance procedures and training are often based on an outdated (or inaccurate) understanding of how humans behave. We don’t learn everything in one go. We can’t retain all of the information in a 50-page manual in one read. Our focus isn’t always razor sharp during a training session at 4pm on a drizzly Wednesday.
See, non-compliance isn’t a sign of creeping anarchy in your organisation. Instead, it often comes down to people forgetting, or confusion, or because it feels like too much of an effort.
Yet help – in the form of lessons from the brain and behavioural sciences – is at hand. First published in 2014, the EAST framework from the UK’s Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) has been used in thousands of behavioural interventions worldwide. And we think that in making compliance Easy, Attractive, Social and Timely compliance practices have a much greater chance of success.
Make compliance Easy
Why it works:
Richard Thaler’s number one takeaway from behavioural science blockbuster Nudge? ‘Make it easy.’ We humans make over 30,000 decisions a day, so we welcome ease and opportunities to reduce cognitive load wherever possible. Even a small amount of friction (a clunky or confusing process, an extra click, extraneous info) can make compliance less likely. Addressing complexity, confusion and user unfriendliness is a good place to start. When it comes to compliance, simple, frictionless processes and clear guidance work best.
What that looks like:
There are lots of instances of organisations around the world simplifying guidance and seeing a great uptick in compliance. As it’s to hand, we’re going to use one from our consulting agency SBC, who helped a global pharma team reduce a mammoth 32,000 words of guidance down to:
- just 8,350 words
- 5 animations and recall quizzes
- 10 infographics and ‘at a glance’ guides.
See how this both improved the user experience and exceeded the client’s expectations, here.
Make compliance Attractive
Why it works:
See that juicy, ripe mango over there, bursting with vitamins – appealing, isn’t it? We’re drawn to attractive things that grab our attention and our internal rewards system is a powerhouse of human motivation. Compliance can be made more attractive by making processes clear but also by incorporating elements like:
- rewards
- incentives
- gamification and interactivity.
But punitive methods don’t go down well. Think more carrot, less (or no) stick.
What that looks like:
Points, levels, streaks, badges … Duolingo builds rewards, incentives and captivating elements galore into learning a new language, making it all the more attractive.
And similar gamified elements have shown utility across a range of tasks – from taking medication and COVID-19 compliance, through to environmental sustainability practices – making often routine tasks more enjoyable, motivating and attractive.
Make compliance Social
Why it works:
We are social animals. And social proof means we look to others around us for direction. If compliance practices highlight the positive actions those around us are taking, then we’re more likely to follow suit. That’s why when HMRC added just one social proof related line to their reminder letters, (Most people in your town pay their tax on time) repayment rates increased by 15%.
What that looks like:
Highlighting social norms has, for example, helped reduce energy consumption. Residents of San Diego who used high amounts of electricity were sent feedback on their energy usage. This wasn’t in personal terms (i.e. how much they were using as a household) but in normative terms (i.e. how much energy they were using compared with their peers/other households). Framing their energy usage as a social comparison saw a long-term reduction in energy usage.
Make compliance Timely
Why it works:
When it comes to compliance, timeliness is next to effectiveness. Well timed compliance reminders – whether a pop-up reminder, just-in-time reminder, or a pre-task reminder – can smoothly encourage employees in the right direction.
For bigger compliance tasks, consider that 9am on a Monday or 5pm on Friday may be when people are either overwhelmed or mentally checked out for the week. For longer compliance tasks, progress bars showing how much of the task has been completed and how much time they have left work well.
What that looks like:
Whether it’s leaving money to charity in a will or handwashing reminders, the BIT have consistently shown that timing matters. In a trial run by the BIT, text messages were sent to people who owed court fines ten days before bailiffs were due to arrive. The timeliness of the messaging saw payment rates increase, ‘two to three times.’
And there you have it
Adopting the EAST framework is just one way to see your compliance programme’s chances of success soar.
Another way is to come and talk to us and see how the BEHAVES 7-step process can be transformative. Because, BEHAVES doesn’t just cover the kinds of actions you can take but also includes the emotions and hurdles involved in behaviour change, right up to how to verify and evaluate what you do and the systems-wide effects. (Safe to say, it’s comprehensive.)
