How to get employees to engage with compliance training

Between team meetings, time-sensitive emails, and looming deadlines, compliance training often feels like a task employees might overlook, and the L&D team can struggle to check-off their list. Employees will delay, ignore, or rush through these mandatory courses—sometimes not even passing the test at the end the first or second time.

But what if compliance training felt less like a chore and more like an activity that employees could complete efficiently without cutting corners?

In this article, we'll share practical strategies to reframe compliance training into a program that employees are more likely to complete successfully when they receive the first notification.

Use microlearning to increase engagement 

Long, dense compliance modules make it harder for employees to pay attention—let alone remember the content for review. Microlearning delivers short, focused compliance lessons that employees can fit into their workday—helping you increase training completion rates without overwhelming your employees.

Instead of assigning one extensive compliance course once a year, try breaking it into smaller segments delivered over time. For example, you could assign:

• A 15-minute module on bullying prevention every other month
• A 10-minute refresher on data privacy at the start of a new quarter

Go1’s content subscription includes providers like Easy Llama, whose courses use FaceTime-style video scenarios, and Marcom, which sets compliance lessons in real-world workplace situations. With these relatable styles and engaging formats, employees can really see how the rules apply.

Connect compliance to everyday work with real-world scenarios

It’s challenging for employees to care about compliance policies if it feels completely disconnected from their daily work. Instead of assigning generic, outdated, one-size-fits-all training, try to personalize compliance training. Include scenarios that reflect your industry and workplace culture.

For example:

• If your company recently experienced a data breach, walk employees through the exact steps that could have prevented it. Work closely with your IT team to choose the perfect courses.
• If you're in manufacturing, you may have two versions of your training: One for the team on the manufacturing floor, and one for those working on the customer-facing side of the business.
• In hospitality, simulations around customer harassment and prevention may need to be available with different cultural context so it feels more real.

Go1's course-builder and variety of localized content makes it easy to customize off-the-shelf compliance courses with your company’s policies—so employees learn what compliance really looks like in their role.

Use interactive technology to make it memorable

Research suggests that we remember 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, and a staggering 90% of what we do. Employees are more likely to remember what they learn when they can see it and do it—rather than just read about it.

Interactive compliance training tools—like Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), or scenario-based quizzes—help employees experience compliance training hands-on, rather than passively watching videos. This approach will make training more engaging and helps increase participation rates.

Imagine stepping into a VR harassment prevention course, where the employee must choose how to respond to inappropriate behavior from a colleague. Every decision changes the outcome—helping employees learn by doing, not just watching.

Add friendly competition with gamification

Gamification—like leaderboards, digital badges, and small rewards—can make compliance training more engaging and motivate employees to finish their training on time.

Try adding:

• Points and leaderboards for timely course completions
• Digital badges for finishing each module on time
• Small prizes or other forms of recognition for top performers

A little friendly competition can motivate employees to engage more deeply—and have fun along the way.

Keep improving with employee feedback

Compliance isn't static; it's a continually evolving topic, and your training materials should reflect that dynamism.

The best way to keep your compliance training engaging? Ask your employees what’s working—and what’s not. When employees have a say in how they're learning, engagement skyrockets. Regularly collect employee feedback through surveys, open forums, or quick pulse checks. Use this input to tweak content, delivery methods, or even the time of day training is assigned.

When employees feel like their feedback shapes the experience, they’re more likely to stay involved.

Compliance training that works for your business

Compliance training doesn't have to feel like a mountain you could never summit. With the right strategies, you can create training that’s engaging enough to get noticed, and effective enough to get completed.

If any of these strategies or course formats caught your interest, we're here to help! Go1 offers compliance courses tailored to your industry, business size, and location, with thousands of options for microlearning, interactive content, and customizable training. And it's all available in one simple subscription.

Go1 has the essential employee training to make your work day easier. Book a demo today to see how we can help your team complete their compliance training.