WHEN YOU ARE WEARING AUDITOR'S HAT

When you are wearing the hat of an auditor, no matter how friendly you are, perception of the people upon you that you are coming to find something that they don't do well. This applies to all type of audits; internal audit, supplier audit or certification audit. No matter what and how best we behave the perception will exist. That is why when we come for an audit especially the certification and supplier audit, majority of the clients will greet auditors well. The top management will come down to greet and shake hands. Good breakfast were be served and most of them including the top management will join for breakfast.
This kind of reception usually not happened when come with different hat such as a trainer or consultant although from the same organization.
During lunch auditors will be served with good food at a high class restaurant. At many occassions dinner will be provided at least once at a good restaurant.
I was a lead auditee before and I did the same. Why I have to greet the auditors well? There are reasons why this kind of reception exist when auditors came to audit.

1. Auditee is doing their best to take care of auditor during audit investigation. Although they are already well prepared, they worried there are many hidden non-conformities around. What the auditee expected if the non-conformities found it can be negotiated.
2. If the auditee already know that there are many conformities around but the corrective action were not taken, they will do their best to hide from be found by auditors. Since the relationship established during breakfast, what we hope that the auditors will listen to our recommendations where and what to check and of course we will present our best records and conditions for auditors to investigate.
3. Auditee want to please auditors so that no non-conformity request will be issued at the end of audit. Before the issuance of formal non-conformities, they should be consulted and they hope with a frienship they have built auditors would down grade the findings to a lesser burden.
4. Auditee are hoping the auditor will not investigate too detail during investigation; if found a non-conformity, the auditor will just 'close an eye' before proceed to the question.
5. Last and not least, serving good breakfast, lunch and dinner could be once a while opportunity for some employee where the company pay everything. There could only be one or two auditors only but the company representative could be twenty coming to join the events to a place they could have never been with own expenses.

Auditors are people like auditee, being paid to perform the task. Audtors have work ethic and guidelines to perform the job. When audit schedule is distributed we were given list of items to be completed during audit. If the investigation delay, more time need to investigate and it may drag the time to late evening.

Next I will tell you the auditee tricks ....