One common situation I often see is that after the opening meeting or a specific team interview (like with the engineering team), the compliance manager tells the team they can leave, but many of them choose to stay and listen.
I understand this more than anyone, after working in large corporations. ISO audits, especially multi-ISO audits, give different departments and teams the chance to see each other’s work, witness major achievements, failures, and investigations, and understand each other’s challenges.
In an ideal ISO compliance world, this would happen during internal audits with cross-departmental teams. However, these teams often don’t realize the value of internal audits and only become fully engaged during third-party audits.
Based on my experience of conducting over 500 audits, one of the most overlooked aspects of ISO audits is how they engage employees. During audits, employees have the opportunity to review their processes, share their feedback, and contribute to the company's improvement efforts. This involvement creates a sense of ownership and pride in their work. I’ve found that organizations with strong employee engagement during audits tend to implement changes more effectively and maintain higher standards over time. The audit process isn’t just about compliance—it’s about getting everyone involved in continuous improvement.
