For most people managing compliance is about as fun as a trip to the dentist, and in many ways people go about managing compliance the same way they care for their teeth.

We'll inject a couple of imaginary actors into the mix, Marvin who has an aversion to visiting the dentist, and Mary who feels that managing compliance is onerous and something she'd rather do without.

Marvin's brain is ticking along with thoughts of "I should really go to the dentist, i've got a bit of discomfort, but she'll be right" whilst Mary is thinking "yea, we really should get our health and safety, quality, or environmental compliance sorted out, it's just we're too busy right now focusing on running our business"

Many of us will have heard the term "ambulance at the bottom of a cliff", and unfortunately it's how we tend to approach certain aspects of our lives. We focus on the things that need doing now and forget about taking care of the little things that could become BIG things later on.

Marvin knows that brushing twice a day and flossing helps prevent decay, just like Mary understands that spending some time each day on managing health and safety, quality, or environmental systems prevents major catastrophe's down the line.

Marvin also recognises that visiting the dentist is about preventative maintenance. Spending a small amount of time and money getting a good clean and polish regularly means he'll avoid the pain and cost of fillings and extractions later in life.

And just like Marvin, Mary knows that by managing compliance each day she's providing transparency to her organisation, thereby reducing the risk to her business and decreasing the possibility of losing their certifications, discounts, or in extreme cases, their livlihood. 

The problem with both scenarios is that humans tend to meet the minimum requirements and hope for the best. 

To avoid trouble in the future you need to focus on compliance now. People tend to forget about compliance when they here the words "recession" just like people forget about the dentist when they think of the pain they'll feel or the money it'll cost them, instead we pretend the problem isn't there...

We catch up with Marvin and Mary six months on from the initial sign of trouble:

Marvin is enjoying a pain free year thanks to a sparkling idea that sent him off to the dentist, things weren't as bad as he'd imagined, the price was ok and he's now able to enjoy all those sweet treats he dearly loves - confident in his knowledge that the dentist has provided him with a new oral hygiene plan and he's scheduled for ongoing maintenance.

Mary on the other hand has just been through an ACC audit and found to be severely lacking, they've had 4 accidents at her workplace and all their procedures, records, and hazards are out of kilter. Nothing is where it should be, forms aren't filled in, training hasn't been conducted and the system they once had, forgot, and ruined is now ruining them.

At best Mary is going to lose her ACC discount, at worst she's looking at a sizeable fine for not taking care of workplace health & safety. 

So what's the lesson here?

The lesson is that we need to take care of the small things before they become BIG things. Spending a small amount of time administering a good compliance programme will save you time, money, and effort in the long run.

So why would Mango help?

If you're too busy focusing on other aspects of your business then Mango is perfect for you.

Mary had a system but became overwhelmed wth the onerous tasks surrounding compliance, she got buried in paperwork and lost the will to comply.

That's why Mary needs Mango, she knows she needs to be compliance, she wants her WSMP discount, but she doesn't want to waste hours out of her day doing paperwork, preparing reports, and having to REMEMBER to do her compliance tasks. 

Mango provides Mary with a compliance assistant that never sleeps, never forgets, and provides the right information when she needs it, wherever she is.

So don't get caught out in tough times, make sure you have your systems right, now, before the rush comes in.