RIM Training: Top Concern at Chicago Fiserv Roundtable by Jeff Picozzi

According the recent Cohasset|ARMA benchmark report only 10% of employees at financial services companies are engaged in Records and Information Management (RIM). This is not a surprising number since nearly half of all institutions surveyed report that they have no standardized training. While most financial services companies institute some type of mandatory records and information security training as a matter of policy, a sufficiently compliant RIM program cannot be achieved with a 20 minute training session every 3 years - or no training at all.

As a group, records and information managers struggle to implement consistent and practical training across the enterprise. This topic was one of the many discussed recently in Chicago at a Financial Services Roundtable sponsored by Iron Mountain. The event gave information management professionals from 10 financial institutions the opportunity to discuss industry trends openly with peers.

Training Daze

When it came to RIM training and awareness, the participants at the event were interested in what their colleagues are doing to get the word out. Reluctantly, many conceded that they rely on either old fashion recorded training courses or more flexible e-learning modules, with some form of attestation questions at the end to satisfy the compliance requirement. The recognized problem with this method is that the knowledge evaporates as soon as a passing score is delivered. So how do you deliver the needed content in a manner that is engaging and sticks in the minds of employees?

Make it Fun!

Sure, RIM may not be a carnival ride on the Fourth of July, but that doesn't mean it can't be fun. RIM professionals have a passion for our programs, and from that passion can come some pretty interesting ideas. One financial institution conducts a traveling road show including games, a quick presentation and giveaways to promote the RIM program. It was followed up with a questionnaire that resulted in better scores on tests. Some of the more clever examples used cartoons to convey and reinforce key RIM definitions and policies, while another company asked employees to add metadata-like descriptions to describe pictures of other employees as a way to educate the meaning of metadata and its value.

Share What Works

As a community of RIM professionals we need to continually share best-practices, especially when it comes to employee (and contractor) RIM training and awareness. We need our business owners to recognize the importance of enterprise-wide participation and adoption. We should use tool like social media, blogs, and live events to share our experiences with each other to help continue to advance our programs and close the prevailing gap between commitment to RIM and our ability to put it into practice.

Interested in participating - Iron Mountain is planning our 2015 financial services roundtable series. These intimate half day sessions in key North American cities offer you the opportunity to discuss current RIM trends with subject matter experts and your peers. Anyone interested in attending should contact their Iron Mountain representative.

LINK:	http://blogs.ironmountain.com/2014/industry/financial-services/rim-tra...
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