What to Include in an Employee Onboarding Video

Effective onboarding is critical to the success of new employees. On average, a company and its new employee have about 90 days to prove that the employee-employer relationship will work.The employee must complete their initial training and prove that they’re a productive member of the team. The employer must prove that they have great products or services, a stellar workplace culture and professional, passionate, and cooperative team members.

When each party meets the other’s expectations, a mutually rewarding long-term relationship can form. This is essential because employee turnover rates are expected to remain high through 2023. The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that there were 5.7 million employee separations in October ’22 alone. Of those separated employees, 4 million were people who quit their jobs. With a proper onboarding program in place, many companies could have averted that fate. And one way to welcome a new employee to that process is with an informational onboarding video.

Video is an excellent medium for onboarding. Not only is it a convenient resource for remote employees, but it can also be revisited as needed by anyone. Here we’ll explore topics to consider as you begin to create your own employee onboarding video library.

Company overview and welcome

By reaching out to new employees with a lively overview of the company, you’ll set the tone of inclusivity and excitement before they even start. In its first few minutes, include a section on your company history, core values, mission, and how the employee will play a vital part in it.

Enlist other employees to participate in your employee onboarding video to showcase the company culture, technical knowledge, customer relationships, and more. Incorporate strong team images that illustrate things like employee engagement, emotional connections, and elements of the employee orientation or onboarding experience.

Lastly, ask your executive team to record a welcome message for new employees to help increase their excitement for their new position.

Include a department overview

After you’ve described the overall mission and culture of your organization, describe how each department contributes to its success. With descriptions, explanations, graphics, and even video walks, create an employee onboarding video that introduces:

• Key personnel
• Department goals and accomplishments
• How specific roles operate within the scope of overall departmental objectives

Reiterate the new employee’s job description

No matter how thorough the interview process may have been, employees might still have questions about their new role. An employee onboarding video that clearly describes the employee’s new role will help them hit the ground running their first day. Outline core responsibilities and how they will be measured on their performance.

Explain IT policies and procedures

One of the most frustrating things as a new employee is the inability to get work done. Make sure your new recruit knows how to log in to the company computer, intranet, and conferencing software. Integrate screen recordings to demonstrate the steps new hires will need to access job-related applications and programs. This might just be among the most valuable employee onboarding videos you produce.

Explain your most important company policies

Next, briefly explain your most pressing or important company policies. These could be 1 or multiple videos, and video content might include:

• Professional code of conduct
• Your policies on harassment, discrimination, and equality
• Health and safety policies
• Time and attendance policies
• In-person and remote work dress codes

By providing these brief onboarding videos, you can help new team members avoid making embarrassing faux pas and questionable first impressions.

Include your social media policy

As people increasingly post work-related content on their personal social media pages, it’s smart to inform your employees of your social media policies. Create a simple and effective video to explain what employees are and are not allowed to make public about their workday. Explain why the policies exist, why it’s important to follow them, and the consequences for those who breach them.

Include your communication policy

How should employees greet, speak to, and advise or direct coworkers and other team members? And which digital channels should they use for what purposes?

Set the standards and tone with a statement about your internal communication policies. The goal is for your employees to communicate with respect and professionalism, even if they’re angry, upset, or under stress.

Practical tips and tricks

Clue your new staff member in with a few good practical tips. For example:

• So as not to arrive late their first day, they’ll need to know if your company has extensive security, how long it takes to get through, or if the guard must call you for an escort.
• If your company has a cafeteria or break room, they’ll need to know where it’s located, what’s included, and any other pertinent details.
• Best times to visit or order from office-favorite breakfast, lunch, and dinner spots.
• Tips for commuting, parking, and not locking themselves out of the office or building.

Don’t be afraid to exercise creativity in your employee onboarding videos. Create multiple videos, and make the content engaging and memorable. Additional types of onboarding videos, including training videos, address more specific onboarding processes for individual job functions and technical knowledge. By including videos that address common questions, policies, procedures, and more, you help set the stage for a great onboarding process and a well-adjusted and productive new employee.

For help developing your company’s own strategic onboarding program, read our full guide to employee onboarding. For ongoing tips, tools, and other resources for business management and HR professionals, visit Workest by Zenefits daily.

Sources

1. Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.nr0.htm)