Not everybody is a huge fan of compliance. Whatever industry you’re in, proving your company meets regulatory standards via a third-party audit is often seen as an inconvenience, or – as this Forbes article puts it – ‘a bureaucratic nuisance’. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Instead of viewing compliance negatively, at GUK we see it as a positive enabler. Staying compliant allows us to keep our staff, our clients and their visitors safe. Compliance gives us a benchmark to meet, and to exceed. It enables us to stay within the limits of the law. And it gives us confidence that we’re providing the best level of service possible.
What exactly is compliance?
In a nutshell, to be compliant means to conform to a framework of rules or laws. And in any regulated environment, where assets, livelihoods and even lives are at stake; compliance is crucial.
Confirmation of compliance comes in the form of accreditations – proof that a company has been audited by a third party and has met the required standards.
The most prestigious of these standards are the International Organization for Standardisation, or ISO standards. In order to maintain these, businesses are assessed by an independent body every year, which means you need to be constantly evolving the way you work as a business, and keep up to date with any industry developments.
The benefits of compliance for all businesses
- Safety
Staying compliant with procedures and policies is critical for the safety of your staff, clients, and visitors, particularly when it comes to high-risk areas like counter-terrorism. - Legality
Compliance is a legal requirement, not a recommendation. And noncompliance fines are no joke – https://www.skillcast.com/blog/biggest-compliance-fines-in-2020. - Service
If you are confident your business is fully compliant, you can be confident that you are providing the best level of service possible to your clients as well as your employees.
Compliance equals trust
Ultimately, ensuring continued compliance – and backing this up with industry accreditations – means your clients can trust your business with their most valuable assets.
At GUK we’re proud to put compliance at the heart of our working practices, and to have been assessed as being in the top 0.5% of companies providing manned guarding services in the UK.
We’re not sitting still though – we’re continually working to evolve our robust quality assurance systems.