Why Video Should Be a Part of Onboarding Employees Best Practices

Onboarding new employees has historically been challenging for employers and new employees. The hiring manager feels like their time is split between daily urgent tasks and getting a new hire up to speed. The new employee often waits between meetings in a limbo, until instructed to do something. As we adjust to the remote work era, onboarding has only become even more challenging. Ideally, new employees should end up with a better understanding of the company’s culture and expectations as well as their overall place in the organization. If not done properly, rates of retention plummet as people leave before they even get full access to the benefits offered by your company.

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

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 compelling digital workspaces are bound to feel dull after several days of do’s and don’ts. Video can capture the attention of any disengaged audience, ensuring that they receive the information they need in a manner that resonates with them.

Video isn’t just more interesting, it also makes information easier to process. People pay 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, but video engages full attention.

It helps new employees commit important information to long-term memory, which leads to improved job performance.

#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 phrase, “Show; don’t tell.” Video is the best way to show your new employees what it means to be a part of your organization.

Video also helps you promote discussion about your company’s culture, including the new employee’s role. After sharing a video, you can ask the employee about what they saw to see if they have any further questions. This helps reduce knowledge gaps down the line.

#3: Video ensures that your message is consistent.

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

When you depend on individuals to onboard new employees, 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 some days, or could be suffering from personal problems. They might simply be tired of administering the training.

Video is unaffected by outside influences—it’s the same, day after day, regardless of the weather or a particular person’s mood. This ensures that all your new hires will get consistent information, no matter the circumstances.

#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.

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 them watch videos at different stages of the process, or you just 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, while consuming less of any current employee’s time. 

Video is 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 required to do their job well.

Are you ready to revamp your onboarding processes with more engaging video? NextThought specializes in helping people with what comes next. For your newest hires, it’s onboarding.