Paula Garlen is ELI’s Chief Learning and Experience Officer
For years, compliance training has focused on information delivery—policies, definitions, and rules. But awareness alone does not change behavior. Knowing what a policy says is different from recognizing when something needs to be addressed or investigated. Doing it consistently—especially in moments that require judgment, awareness, and confidence—is what truly matters.
For organizations striving to build a more civil, respectful, and accountable workplace, the future of compliance training is not just about creating awareness. It’s about setting clear behavioral expectations and reinforcing them through ongoing practice and accountability. Research from MIT Sloan shows that organizations with strong norms of respect and accountability see higher engagement, lower turnover and better performance.
Learning science also confirms that people change most effectively when training is relevant to their needs, simple to apply in their daily work, and reinforced until the actions become standard practice.
Why Microlearning and Just-in-Time Tools Improve Real-World Performance
Traditional training often asks employees to absorb hours of information at once and remember it weeks or months later. Adult learners don’t retain information this way. They remember what is timely, practical, and clearly connected to their roles.
That’s where microlearning and just-in-time tools excel.
Microlearning breaks complex behavioral skills—such as responding to disrespect, raising a concern, or handling a sensitive conversation—into brief, targeted segments that leaders and employees can absorb quickly. Delivered at the right moment, these short learning bursts strengthen recall and confidence while minimizing disruption. Simple, univerally applicable concepts are key to success.
Just-in-time tools extend this even further. A quick reference guide before a challenging conversation. A case study that covers a new angle on an existing issue. A discussion guide to support team conversations. These resources turn learning into action and help ensure the civil behaviors introduced in formal training show up in daily work.
When leaders get the right support at the moment of need, compliance training shifts from a one-time event to a catalyst for workplace civility—and a better organizational culture.
Using the 70-20-10 Model to Turn Knowledge Into Habit
The widely accepted 70-20-10 model highlights where real growth happens:
- 70% through on-the-job application
- 20% through coaching, mentoring, and peer learning
- 10% through formal instruction
Most organizations focus on the 10%—formal compliance training—but overlook the 90% that determines whether behavior actually changes. Formal training is still essential, but without reinforcement, it rarely delivers meaningful results.
Designing learning with the 70-20-10 model in mind ensures employees have:
- Opportunities to practice civil, respectful, and inclusive behaviors
- Support and feedback from leaders and peers
- Assessments and follow-up tools to reinforce skills across daily interactions
This is where mindset shift—and the real ‘doing’ in terms of behaviors—happens. Employees don’t just know the expectations. They see, experience, and practice them in the flow of work until they become habits.
Where Mindset Change Meets Workplace Culture
When compliance training emphasizes practice, reinforcement, and everyday application, it becomes a lever for building a culture rooted in respect, accountability, teamwork, and trust. Leaders and employees learn not only what the rules are but how to live them in real situations—especially the difficult ones.
Making change stick requires more than a learning module. It requires continuous reinforcement, leaders who model the right behaviors, timely reminders, opportunities to practice, and acknowledgment when progress shows up in day-to-day work.
Organizations that adopt this approach don’t just reduce problems. They prevent them, resolve issues faster when they arise, and strengthen the culture that supports long-term success. This is how companies create workplaces where people thrive and strategic goals become achievable.
