To this point, most of our blog posts have focused on how to use video to engage with your customers and those outside of your business. However, video is also a fantastic way to interact with your employees, especially those new to your company!
Think back to when you started a new job. How did you feel? Were you nervous, maybe even a little scared? While landing a new job is exciting, it is often combined with those feelings of nervousness about the new journey that’s ahead. Videos in the onboarding process are a perfect way to engage with your new employees and provide them with the tools they will need to be successful in their new role, as well as ease any fears they may have.
4 Reasons to Use Videos in the Onboarding Process
Wondering why you should use video as part of the onboarding process? Here are four reasons from the eLearning Industry.
1. Videos provide storytelling.
Using videos as part of your onboarding allows you to tell new employees your brand’s story as you want it told and in a way that resonates better than what they can get from pages in an employee handbook. Videos provide the perfect outlet for your new employee to connect visually and emotionally with your company. These stories also open the door for discussions following the video, as well as opportunities for learning and development. Allen Communication explains, “By telling impactful stories, we help employees understand what their onboarding will cover in the future and prepare them to learn...Much like the flipped classroom, video can be a precursor to insightful discussions around the topics that will be critical for the onboarding process.”
2. Videos increase engagement.
Videos are a great way to keep new employees engaged in the learning and onboarding process. This engagement helps them adjust to their new role within your company while retaining information. Videos are able to create long-term memories for job duties and provide a connection with your brand that other, more traditional methods cannot obtain.
3. Videos quicken the onboarding process.
Beyond engagement, videos are able to speed up the onboarding process. How does this help? When employees become more comfortable and confident in their new jobs at a quicker pace, it reduces the time and resources needed for training. This is especially true when there’s a lot of information for the employee to take in. It is an employer’s responsibility to effectively help employees confidently maneuver into their jobs so they can branch out and start developing themselves within their career and your company, and a standard video can ensure the trainer doesn’t miss any critical points.
4. Videos are cost-effective.
Hiring and training new employees is one of the most expensive processes a business goes through. Videos with onboarding are not only cost-effective but will provide a better return on investment (ROI) for an organization. Effective onboarding videos give employees the information they need and have the ability to motivate them to produce results that will allow them to succeed in their position within your business.
4 Types of Onboarding Videos
Make sure your onboarding process is a memorable experience that creates excitement for new employees by letting them see more than words in a handbook. Videos are a great way to introduce them to different departments, people, and activities within your company that they may not know of otherwise. Thankfully, you’re not limited to just one type of onboarding video; here are four you can take advantage of from Allen Communication.
1. Expert-led webinars. Webinars led by experts are a great way to start the onboarding process and set expectations. They provide support for your new team members who are not familiar with the company’s expectations and can relieve any concerns they may have. According to Allen Communication, “By having experts engage with new employees, you add credibility to the topic, and you help put them at ease by providing them with a set of tools and techniques from a great source.”
2. Screen captures. While there are numerous ways you can teach new employees, include writing down specific directions or creating a presentation that combines words and pictures to explain each step of the process along the way. A screen capture of the process while offering an audio explanation at the same time is an effective teaching method for several reasons. The article from Allen Communication explains, “They let the instructor talk in real-time, which helps engage learners as if the instructor is right there with them. There are multiple screen capture programs available, and they are excellent tools to provide learners with an audio/visual look at a real-life process in action.”
3. Video tutorials. Using video to walk your new employees through your company is another effective strategy, especially if your business is in manufacturing and production. Tutorial videos help employees get their footing in their new role and environment while also showing them where to go for important information and in emergencies. As the Allen Communication article states, “[Onboarding videos] also allow for a more detailed look at the intricacies of specific industrial machines, affording learners the ability to familiarize themselves with these machines without damaging the machine or hurting themselves.”
4. Faces of the company. Onboarding videos also provide a great opportunity to introduce higher-level management to new employees, as well as the different departments and the culture within your organization, helping them get a better feel for the company as a whole. Allen Communication explains, “You want the employees to feel at home and be comfortable in their new roles, and implementing this technique gives them that feeling that they are welcome. Also, it gives them an opportunity to see the real faces of employees and senior management of their place of work.”
Steps for Creating an Effective Onboarding Strategy
So how do you put onboarding videos to use for your company? Ponopto provides helpful steps to create an effective strategy, which include the following:
1. Identify onboarding activities for all new employees. Before you can start using videos for onboarding, you need to know what actions are required to help your new employees begin their roles successfully. Once you have that information, you can strategize which types of videos will work best to reach your onboarding goals and which activities will need a different approach.
2. Create a schedule. The first 90 days are important for new employee success and to keep turnover low. It’s important to remember to remain flexible so employees can fit their onboarding activities within their new responsibilities. Depending on how heavy of an onboarding program you have, try to space out videos over a period of time, so you don’t overwhelm new employees. It can also be helpful to allow your team to have access to the onboarding videos beyond the scheduled times so they can review the videos on their own.
3. Determine the video activities and schedule for individual groups. While creating videos for all new employees is extremely helpful, creating specific videos for different roles, departments, or locations within your company can have an extremely powerful effect on the onboarding process. It allows you to provide new employees with the specific tools they need to be successful in their new roles.
4. Share your strategy. Don’t keep your plan to yourself; share it internally to help gain additional insight that can be used in the onboarding process. Ponopto explains, “Sharing your onboarding map across departments allows you to add more useful cross-functional training activities to the map. Sharing your map can also help ensure your organization buys into the new program.”
5. Consistency is key. Once you have a plan finalized, it’s important to stick to it. You won’t see any real results if you don’t show every new employee the onboarding videos or if you let them view only one of the videos they are supposed to watch.
6. Monitor video activity. This often-overlooked step is just as important as the videos themselves. Over time, if you’re consistent with your plan, you will start seeing how well your onboarding videos are working. On the other side, if the videos are not resonating with new employees, you’ll be able to notice that too. Some key areas to monitor are retention rates, new employee engagement, and performance.
Final Thoughts
In addition to sharing your brand with new customers, videos are a fantastic chance to get your employees up to speed and start them off on the right foot. Onboarding videos are cost-effective, increase employee engagement and retention, and tell your company’s story in a way that manuals can’t. With the help of the steps above, you’ll be able to create a video that helps your employees reach their fullest potential as quickly as possible.
Ready to dive into onboarding videos but need a little help? Tabrizi Productions has extensive experience creating custom pieces that highlight what makes your business unique.
Tabrizi Productions is a boutique video production company with a mission to make video accessible for all. We offer authentic, affordable video storytelling for companies large and small.
Contact us today to learn how we can put your new team members at ease with an onboarding video!
