Driving employee retention and productivity through Video Onboarding
Up until recently, employee onboarding was considered to the final stage in an employee’s introductory process into a new role. Onboarding was used to see how well new hires settled in, as well an introductory step to the more senior figures. It wasn’t too long before human resource managers started to understand just how inefficient their employee onboarding process was, especially when compared to the other organizations who used an employee’s first week as the perfect time frame to onboard them.
Onboarding has become a crucial process in driving retention and productivity levels amongst employees. The reconfigured employee onboarding process was a milestone for human resource managers. Yet, many of the same human resource managers are seeing another dip in retention amongst new and existing employees. Simply introducing a new employee onboarding checklist or process is not enough. You have to make sure it’s adaptable and in line with modern times.
Before we jump into the modern onboarding practices that we see today, it’s important to understand what onboarding is, why it’s important and how it differentiates from employee orientation.
Employee onboarding vs. employee orientation
While many companies may have a process set up to ease new employees into their new role and environment, very few have an elaborate process in place. Employee onboarding and employee orientation are two similar procedures that many organizations and human resource managers still seem to be confusing.
- Employee onboarding represents the comprehensive process of getting new hires involved and set up, with close support from their managers.
- Employee orientation, on the other hand, serves as one component of the employee onboarding process. Employee orientation is set up to provide new hires with important things such as employee handbooks, company policies, lunch hours, bonuses, communication details and so on and so forth. Orientation typically is a one-time thing, whereas employee onboarding is an ongoing process over an employee’s preceding weeks.
What is onboarding?
Employee onboarding represents the process in place of getting new hires adjusted to their new jobs as quickly and effortlessly as possible. Human resource managers need to make sure their new recruits feel welcomed and equipped to start and excel at their new job.
As nerve racking as onboarding may be for new employees, it is equally as challenging for the respected managers involved. Managers are tasked with the “simple” job of making new hires feel welcomed, instilling knowledge, preparing for certain roles, establishing their responsibility and adapting to company culture and etiquette.
Onboarding is a company’s way of welcoming an employee into their business, culture, and environment. That’s not to say every organization should focus on an individual process or a standard new employee onboarding checklist.
Why is onboarding important?
Some organizations may see the overall employee onboarding process as an inconvenience, especially when compared to the more straightforward employee orientation method. The cost of actually replacing an entry-level employee is between 30-50% of that person’s annual salary. For senior-level employees, it’s even higher, with figures reaching between 150-400%.
Employee onboarding is not the same as training. Employee onboarding is all about nurturing a relationship between a new employee and the organization during the early stages. In a survey conducted by OfficeTeam, it was reported that:
- 15% of employees didn’t get introduced to their new co-worker
- 22% of employees didn’t have the necessary supplies readily available
- 14% of employees never got a tour of their new office
- 54% of employees said they experienced some mishap at their new role.
Whats even more startling is that from the same survey, 92% of human resource managers questioned felt that their employee onboarding process was effective! Not having the appropriate employee onboarding process can lead to a number of consequences for both employee and employer.Modern onboarding to appeal to millennials
2016 saw millennials surpass their Gen X predecessors, forging the biggest demographic group amongst the workforce. With every generation, comes a shift in practices. Employee onboarding and other training methods that have been used for decades are now becoming obsolete. While some organizations have already implemented new onboarding methods, many have only just accepted the need of an overhaul.
Human resource managers need to ask themselves when new employees (Millennials) walk through the company doors, are we well equipped to adhere to their needs? Are the right procedures in place to create a sense of empowerment amongst new recruits?
Powerpoint presentations may have been useful in the past, but today’s workforce requires a more sufficient form of onboarding. For a new employee, there is a ton of information to be acquired within the first couple of days. Using outdated communication techniques to convey your message will make it harder for employees to keep up and grasp all the relevant information.
In fact, a study conducted by CareerBuilder revealed that human resource managers would benefit from the introduction of more automation and technology into their employee onboarding process. Over 40% of the human resource managers surveyed, who don’t currently capture their onboarding information electronically, actually spend 3 hours or more per employee manually obtaining and processing the data. A further 16% spent 5 hours or more.
The benefits of video onboarding
More often than not, companies proceed with their employee onboarding process without even considering just how impactful video is. Although companies are jumping on the video onboarding trend, a vast majority are still a little weary of the costs and “elaborate” process involved. Below are 6 reasons why video is a much more efficient onboarding tool than the current practices employed today by many organizations around the world.
1. Better return on investment with video onboarding
Employee turnover is an expensive cost for companies. Thorough employee onboarding can help assure both new and existing employees that they are a valued member of the team and have all the available tools necessary to succeed. Furthermore, companies who have approved video onboarding and other creative methods have experienced a 50% increase in new hire retention rates.
2. Video onboarding can help communicate your company values
It can be a difficult challenge for human resource managers to try communicate their company culture and values with a pen and paper. Communicating your message through video can help reiterate values for new employees, as well as give them an insight of your company.
3. Using video will help ease an employee’s first-day nerves.
The first few days are always nerve-racking for new hires. Not only are they starting a new job and meeting new people, but they are usually overloaded with paperwork and other essential pieces of information. Most employees would agree that the watching a video is much less intimidating than having a member of the human resource department bombard you with information.
4. Visual communication is more effective than verbal explanation
The use of words and visuals can help the human brain understand and memorize material more sufficiently. Video combines both text and visuals to help build a meaningful connection between the pictorial and verbal representations.
5. Increased emotional connection
Onboarding through video can help build an emotional connection with new employees. For example, if you want to showcase brand culture, have employees film a couple of personal stories or memories from within the company. Emotional connections will help messages resonate with new hires, and thus make your process more effective
6. Centralized video storage
Having a centralized video library is an additional benefit for any human resource managers looking to utilize video onboarding. New hires can revisit the library to rewatch any videos and refresh their memory, something that isn’t possible with traditional onboarding.
5 examples of employee onboarding videos
Using video has become an integral part of the employee onboarding process. As mentioned above, using video adds personality, as well as associates a visual connection to information distributed. Organizations have their own way of incorporating video within their employee onboarding process. While some human resource departments may have integrated video across their whole process, others may have just created a handful of employee videos. As more and more organizations are turning to video to help improve engagement amongst new hires, we have selected 5 key types of employee onboarding videos that will help welcome new recruits.
- Organization Overview / about us. Showcase your company’s history and mission through a friendly and easy-to-digest video.
- CEO Messages. Not all CEO’s and top executives can meet new employees, especially within global companies. Using video to help project messages from the top will not only familiarize employees with the main figures within the company, but will help display a friendlier setting.
- Department Overview. Summarize who’s who in your company. Have roles, departments, and department goals clearly defined.
- IT policies. Explain comprehensive company policies through a series of videos, which employees can access at any time.
- Employee-generated video. Why not use existing employees to help educate new hires on roles, responsibilities and company dynamics?
Solving onboarding challenges with Moovly
The process of onboarding is too valuable when it comes to employee retention and productivity to keep holding onto an outdated process. Companies need to understand just how vital it is for them to keep up to date and employ modern onboarding techniques that are actually going to make a difference.
As organizations look to attract new talent and grow competitively, it’s more important than ever to get employee onboarding right. But for all of the video onboarding benefits and uses we have discussed in this blog, some organizations will still cite the cost and time as the reason why they simply can’t look to incorporate video at the moment.
Here is how Moovly can help. Moovly is a cost-effective platform designed to help organizations create compelling and engaging video content. Cost is still one of the main factors deterring organizations from fully integrating a digital process. With Moovly, you can choose from subscription plans going from individual plans to Enterprise group bundles, entirely customized to your organization’s brand colors, fonts, etc. In all plans, you can take advantage of over 1 million free media assets from our library, as well as unlimited publishing to your gallery or social media channels.
Finally, make sure to have a look at the growing library of editable, ready-made video templates, which cover onboarding topics as well as many other HR matters.
