The following post is written by R&Q Senior Engineer, Michelle Mahoney.
One of the toughest things to experience when walking in to audit a company is the tension, anxiety, and fear emanating from those in the room. Taking a look around the room, I notice heads are turned away, eyes are up counting the ceiling tiles, and no one will even make eye contact with me. I already felt like an outsider walking into this company alone, but now I feel it even more so. I realize it's up to me to break the ice and try to settle the nerves of everyone in the room.
"So how 'bout them Red Sox?"
Ok, there's a smile. A chuckle. Some eye contact. Success!
...alright, so that only works when I’m in New England... but you get the idea.
It's really up to me, as the auditor, to set the mood of the audit within the first few minutes of walking through the door. As much as I hope that the company will be comfortable and relaxed with hosting an audit, there are almost always nerves and anxiety running wild.
One potential reason? The auditees feel the pressure to have a successful audit because if they don't, top management might have a word or two about it. But what the auditees need to realize is that there is nothing to be scared of, and here's why.
