Article

Get with the compliance program: A 4-step, mobile process

Formalizing a process isn’t about adding an extra step to bog employees down, it’s about creating a proof point to measure compliance with assorted regulations.

December 17, 2015

By Vladik Rikhter, CEO and co-founder of Zenput

Although Chipotle is used to making headlines for its commitment to “real food,” the recent E. coli outbreaks at several locationsare forcing the chain to invest in serious damage-control measures to save its reputation. CEO Steve Ells, for example, recently made a public apologyon live TV, the chain has hired specialiststo help ensure new food-handling processes, and it even added a Q and A section to its website to address customer concerns about the outbreaks.

Chipotle isn’t the first national chain to experience such an incident, and it won’t be the last. And while it’s still under investigation as to how this particular outbreak occurred, it’s critical for restaurants to develop processes to measure and monitor food safety. Formalizing a process isn’t about adding an extra step to bog employees down, it’s about creating a proof point to measure compliance with assorted regulations. Mobile solutions provide employees with the best method of tracking compliance checks and managing relevant data.

Here’s a four-step plan for creating a culture of compliance that focuses on accountability, using mobile solutions to foster a company-wide commitment to compliance:

Step 1 – Culture

Compliance isn’t about fines, nor is it about doing the bare minimum to get through any checks. Encouraging strict compliance with regulations starts with an understanding that food safety is paramount to the customer experience and the brand’s reputation. When employees understand why it’s so critical to adhere to these policies, they’ll be more likely to commit to them. Mobile solutions, like other software, are a perfect fit for these kinds of policies. Policies are highly structured and must be strictly followed. So providing employees with a simple tool on a smartphone or a tablet to complete necessary tasks and track their progress plays into the culture you want to establish. If you want a culture of compliance, you can’t just preach it and hope people follow. Providing people with the tools they need to complete the tasks shows them you’re serious and need things done properly.

Step 2 – Process

Developing a clear process for checking compliance with food safety regulations starts with the top and must encompass each piece of a company’s hierarchy. Ultimately, tasks must be completed by employees in kitchens and warehouses, but everything needs to come from the top down. Managers need to implement processes that empower employees on the front lines to adhere to policies by making manual data collection and tracking as easy as possible. As different steps of the process are completed, managers are instantly notified. Depending on the different compliance checks that are required, this could be daily, weekly or monthly. Using a centralized mobile solution alerts necessary parties and stores relevant information so it can be accessed as proof point of a food safety check.

Step 3 – Training

When you hire new employees, the significance and sensitivity of compliance must be part of the on-boarding process. As they learn different processes and elements of their jobs, they need to be informed of their role in the overarching company compliance policy. It’s not an afterthought. It’s not something to do if they have the time. Compliance a must be completed as meticulously as every other task. It can be something as simple as logging the temperature in a refrigerator or a heating tray, but it’s critical that this information is collected and tracked, so conducting the proper training and education will go a long way to helping your company meet industry standards.

Step 4 – Improvements and adjustments

Managers need to trust their employees, but it’s inevitable that something might fall through the cracks. Food safety violations rarely happen because of any conscious negligence. It’s an oversight or poor attention to detail. Even if the failure to accomplish one of the tasks required to track compliance doesn’t lead to any specific violation, it’s a potentially dangerous precedent to set. Having mobile technology in place to enable employees to receive notifications of their daily tasks and confirm completion provides management teams and corporate offices with the data they need to track trends and issues that may have led to a compliance violation. Whether it’s compliance or any other aspect of the business, there always needs to be a commitment to making steady improvements.

Violations don’t happen only because of employee error, and there will undoubtedly be issues that no amount of technology or accountability can predict or stop. However, taking control of compliance by integrating better methods for tracking compliance checks, such as the use of mobile solutions, minimizes the likelihood of these problems, so customers can relax and enjoy their favorite burritos.