Why Video Should Be a Part of Onboarding Employees Best Practices

Onboarding new employees can be arduous, for employers and employees alike. When it’s done well, the employees end up with a better understanding of the company’s culture, their employer’s expectations, and the employee’s overall place in the organization. When it’s not, the rate of retention begins to plummet as people leave before they even get their desks properly organized.

When employee onboarding is well-structured, 58 percent of employees are more likely to still be with the organization after three years. One of the most efficient ways to ensure that each new employee is getting the information they need is to utilize video in the onboarding process.

Here are just a few of the reasons why video should be part of your employee onboarding best practices.

#1: Video is engaging.

Even the most interesting place of employment is bound to sound boring after three days of do’s and don’ts. Video can capture the attention of a disengaged audience, ensuring that they’re receiving the information they need in a manner that resonates with them.

Video isn’t just more interesting, it also makes information easier to ingest. People play closer attention to video than text. 55 percent of people say that they consume video more thoroughly than any other type of information; text is skimmable, while video engages their full attention.

It will leave new employees with long-term memories of the information so they’ll be able to perform their jobs well.

#2: Video tells a good story.

People love stories. From cave paintings to modern cinema, we’ve used storytelling to entertain and educate. You’ve probably heard the saying, “Don’t tell me, show me.” Video is the best way to show your new employees what it means to be a part of your organization.

Additionally, video gives you the opportunity to facilitate a discussion about your company’s culture as well as the new employee’s role. After showing the video, you can ask the employee about what they saw and if they have any questions.

#3: Video ensures that your message is consistent.

Whether your company brings new employees on board every few weeks or every few years, there’s always a risk that they’re getting inconsistent messaging. Maybe the trainer is out, or maybe there are different trainers for different locations, or maybe you don’t even have a trainer at all and simply rely on whoever’s available.

When you depend on a human to onboard a new employee, they’re bound to put their own spin on things. The quality of the new employee training can vary depending on a variety of factors.

The trainer could be sick that day, they could be suffering from personal problems, or they might be tired of administering the training.

Video is unaffected by outside influences— it’s the same, day after day, regardless of the weather or someone’s mood. This ensures that your new hires will get the congruent information, no matter what.

#4: Video is fun.

Good help is hard to find— especially when roughly one-third of workers in the United States have quit a job after six months or less.

Do you want to keep the talent you’ve managed to bring to your organization?  If your onboarding consists of packets full of policy and procedures followed by a droning lecture about the organization’s expectations of their workers, you’re not exactly painting a bright picture of your new hire’s future with the company.

Even if you’ve buried information about your corporate culture on page 32 of the onboarding manual, it’s unlikely that your new employee has a strong positive connection with you and your team.

Paperwork is an inevitable part of any hiring process, but if you temper it with a more accessible method, such as video, it will not only break up the monotony, but it will also give the new employee a better picture of what you’ve got to offer.

Whether you have videos to be watched at different points of the process, or you use video to welcome the new hire to the fold, it’s far more entertaining to watch a video than to plow through a huge policy manual.

#5: Video is cost-effective.

A great video can get a new employee up to speed with their duties, the company’s history, and the company’s culture. This will significantly cut down on the amount of time that your team will take to get the new hire fully trained.

Video can be motivating and engaging, and it can give your team the jumping-off point they need to ensure that the new hire has all the information to do their job well.

Are you ready to revamp your onboarding processes with video? We can help. Click here to talk to one of our video experts today.