Check, check, and check again (at regular intervals)
Preventing issues before they arise, or before they reach critical mass, can save money, lives, and reputations. That’s not even an exaggeration; many Kiwi businesses can attest to that. Our workplace fatality rates are abysmal beside comparable countries such as Australia and the UK, and with the current fairly convoluted regulation systems a lot of this prevention will fall to the personal responsibility of PCBUs.
Regular check-ins around all aspects of H&S and HR compliance can keep your people safe, keep your operations smooth, and ensure you are ready when accreditation or prequal assessments roll around. Be ready, STAY ready, stay safe.
No two self-assessment systems will be the same. Each unique business has its own way of doing this, and it’s part of our job at Emendas to work with business leaders to create something that’s comprehensive, effective, efficient, and that works with your people and processes.
The risks of putting self-assessment on the backburner
You don’t know what you don’t know! When you’re not completing some form of regular self-assessment or audit, there will always be something that escapes your attention. Without a system of self-assessment, you’re risking:
- Policies not being followed, creating a gap between work-as-imagined and work-as-done.
- Unsafe or unethical practices being followed.
- Breakdowns in communication.
- No follow-up or real change after incidents.
- Legal liability due to all of the above.
Starting down the path of self-assessment and audits can feel like a monumental task if you’re beginning from nothing. However, like compliance as a whole, it can be broken into more palatable pieces to fit seamlessly within your operations.
The benefits of self-assessment/audits in your business
We touched on some of the benefits of self-assessment in the introductory paragraphs. Safe people, smoother operations, and readiness for any prequal that comes your way are all great reasons to stay on top of this. You might also consider:
- Self-assessment ensures that everyone is on the same page. Often, gaps between policy and practice are discovered; these are notoriously confusing particularly for new employees. A self-assessment can identify and correct these, changing either side of the coin to bring them into alignment.
- A proven process of self-auditing for compliant safety and HR practices helps to protect the company and directors legally, demonstrating due diligence.
- Putting effort into checking that your systems are safe, compliant, and working well to support employees demonstrates your commitment to being a great place to work. This can boost retention and help you to find quality people when hiring.
Above all, regular self-audits and assessments of your business systems and practices are opportunities for continuous improvement. In addition to turning up errors or gaps, they allow you to assess for efficiency, productivity, and profitability.
Creating your system for self-assessment
There’s no universal blueprint for a great self-assessment schedule or system. Each business is unique, and a generic template will never work as well as something that’s thought through and tailored.
In our not-insignificant experience working on policies and processes for a wide range of businesses, a rolling approach is best. Take a section of HR or H&S policy and practice at a time and focus on that. Are all laws being followed? Would you pass the relevant accreditations or prequals? Make changes where necessary, and schedule another review of that section for a year’s time (or a shorter period if necessary).
Your policies are, in some ways, your promises and commitments to your staff, your clients and customers, and to the law. Any audit or self-assessment will look at both whether you are making the right promises, and whether you are fulfilling them in practice.
- Are they sufficient, relevant, accurate, and compliant (see the policies subfactor for more)?
- Are they known, accessible, and understood by all workers?
- Can you evidence this for an assessor, internal or external?
Always involve workers who have a stake in the policies or processes in the self-assessment or self-audit process. Those on the ground experiencing any issues, inefficiencies, or safety concerns will have valuable insight.
Prep for prequal and accreditation
In addition to a regular schedule of rolling self-audits and internal assessments, there will always be checking to be done before a scheduled external assessment for a prequal or accreditation of any kind. These accreditation programmes cost you money and time, so if you’re not properly prepared you’re risking losing that investment.
Depending on the type of assessment you have scheduled, we recommend doing your own audit 3-6 months beforehand. This gives you time to make changes and build evidence before the inspectors arrive. For example, if you need evidence of regular H&S meetings, picking this up in a review 5 months beforehand will give you time to create a record of minutes to show a regulator.
What you DON'T need to worry about
We like to remind clients that any inspector is not there to judge your method of doing things; simply to determine whether you’re meeting the relevant standards and legislation. The analogy we use is one of a council inspector checking a newly-built house. They’re not there to judge your choice of windows and tapware; they are simply there to ensure that what has been built matches what was stated.
Want to use te reo Māori in your signage? Print policies on papyrus? Use bright pink safety hats? Conduct safety meetings over coffee and donuts? Use ridiculous headings in your blog posts? That’s fine, as long as you’re fulfilling your obligations under the law.
TL;DR: Assess yo’self b4 you wreck yo’self
Regular self-assessments and internal audits keep your business compliant, efficient, and ready for any accreditation inspections that might come your way. They keep everyone on the same page, make you a better and more desirable employer, and can also uncover opportunities for continuous improvement. Without conducting regular self-assessments or internal audits, you’re risking:
- Policies not being followed.
- Unsafe or unethical practices in your workplace.
- Breakdowns in communication.
- A lack of positive change.
- Legal liability.
At Emendas, we always recommend a rolling schedule of self-assessments wherein you spread different sections of policies and practices out throughout the year, rather than tackling them all at once. For each one, you will consider whether the policies in place are sufficient, relevant, accurate, and compliant, and ensure they are known, understood, and accessible to all workers. Crucially, you will make sure that the practices in place match the policies, using the observations and advice of those who see and experience these every day.
Get help
Self-assessment and internal audits aren’t something you can—or should—entirely outsource and wash your hands of. It’s important that the people who know what’s what in your business have oversight of the process and results. However, there are ways that experienced professionals like the team at Emendas can help you to create a solid, functional, tailored system that works hard for you. Our approach is always focused on capability uplift; equipping people at all levels of your organisation with the tools and skills they need to self-manage compliance.
Get in touch with the Emendas team for guidance and support that will see you on the path to self-reliance!