A High Completion Rate Doesn't Mean Compliance Training Is Working

Yet organisations still face cases of wrongdoing or misconduct. High completion only shows that people clicked through the content. It doesn't show whether people know how and where it applies in their everyday work, or what to do in the moment a potential risk arises. 

"People generally know the essential rules," says Owen Rose, a director at Acteon, a consultancy specialising in communication, learning and behaviour change. "What they find harder is applying that rule in the moment, especially when they're busy and under pressure. A completion rate doesn’t tell you whether compliance training has any impact on what they do in their everyday work."

AI adoption is a current example. In a 2025 global study of more than 48,000 people, led by the University of Melbourne with KPMG, 39% of UK employees said they had used AI at work in ways that contravene their organisation’s policies and guidelines. 

Completion matters. But it isn't evidence of workplace behaviour

Regulators and auditors expect records of who has been trained. The problem comes when completion is treated as the end point.

It can be harder to measure behaviour. But there are some simple things you can build into your approach that will really help.

For L&D teams, a few practices make it more realistic to show that compliance training is working:

1. Start with the action.
2. Assess application.
3. Track a small set of workplace signals.
4. Speak to your managers.