Starting a new job can be an exciting yet nerve-wracking experience for many new hires. It's important to make a great first impression and provide them with all the information and resources they need to start off on the right foot.
In addition, organisations with a strong onboarding process experience an impressive 82% improvement in new hire retention rates.
So, how do you build an onboarding process for your employees – that makes sense for them and you? In two words — onboarding videos.
In this article, we'll equip you with all the tools and insights you need to create effective and engaging onboarding videos. Learn why video is a powerful medium for welcoming new hires, what key information to include, and see examples of companies who have nailed it.
We'll also share best practices and video templates you can use to craft compelling videos that will help your new hires feel informed, valued, and ready to hit the ground running.
What is an employee onboarding video?
So, what exactly is an employee onboarding videos? Simply put, employee onboarding videos, or orientation videos, are short, informative videos that provide new hires with an overview of the company's culture, values, and mission, as well as important information about their role and responsibilities.
These videos can cover a wide range of topics, such as company history, workplace policies, job-specific training, and introductions to key team members.
We're going to let you in on a secret before you get to the bottom of this article... You can create impactful onboarding videos just by copying the text from your current onboarding documents and pasting it in Storykit AI. Try Storykit for free and see for yourself.
Why use video for onboarding?
Video is an effective medium for onboarding because it is an engaging and interactive way to introduce new employees to your company culture and processes. Your company has stories to tell, but if you're relying on PDFs to do it, you may be falling short.
Also, with remote work now the norm, onboarding new hires has become even more challenging. In fact, 55% of companies said that onboarding was their biggest challenge when it comes to remote work.
Therefore, if you want to build an employee onboarding process that engages your new hire, no matter where they are, implementing onboarding videos for new employees is the best way to do it.
Here are several reasons why using video onboarding can be a more effective and efficient way to train new employees compared to traditional methods.
1. Speed up the onboarding process
Rather than having a new hire sit through hours of presentations or read through lengthy documents, videos can condense information into easily digestible segments. This means that new hires can quickly get up to speed on everything they need to know and start contributing to the team sooner.
2. Get to know the organisation more quickly
By providing a visual and engaging overview of your company culture, values, and mission, new hires can quickly understand what makes your organisation unique and what they can expect from working there. This can help them feel more comfortable and confident in their new role and help reduce churn.
3. Ensure informational consistency
Onboarding videos ensure that all new hires receive the same information and training, regardless of their location or who conducts the onboarding process. This can help to ensure consistency and reduce the risk of important information being missed or miscommunicated.
4. Accessible anywhere, anytime and on any device
Videos are accessible and can be viewed from anywhere, at any time, and on any device. This means that new hires can easily access the information they need, even if they are working remotely or on-the-go.
5. Improves engagement and knowledge retention
Onboarding videos can be designed to be visually appealing, engaging, and interactive, which can help to hold the attention of new hires and improve knowledge retention. This can be particularly important for younger generations who may be more accustomed to learning through visual and interactive media.
6. Save costs and resources in the long run
While there may be some upfront costs associated with creating high-quality onboarding videos, in the long run, they can be a more cost-effective option than traditional onboarding methods. Videos can be reused for multiple new hires, reducing the need for repetitive in-person training sessions or printed materials.
The US tax authority IRS knows a thing or two about bringing new hires onboard – and they’ve unleashed the power of video in their onboarding to great effect: since they switched to video-based onboarding, video reduced their cost of training by 83% in only three years. You might need to read that again: a reduction of 83% in just three years!
Bringing new employees on using video-based onboarding should be critical for any business looking to stay competitive and keep their hiring costs down (by that, we mean every business). By using video, you’re not only making your onboarding process more accessible and cutting costs – but you’ll also have a better impact on the employee during one of the first major milestones within the company.
What should be included in an onboarding video?
When creating an onboarding video, the content you should include depends on the specific goals you have for that specific video. In order to make valuable onboarding videos, you need to put yourself in your new hire’s shoes and imagine what they would like to hear. Consider what kind of instructions and introductions would go well with your narrative.
A best practice is don’t try to make your videos too long. It's also smart to divide the information into shorter parts – think of them like book chapters. If the onboarding video needs to be longer, you can easily create several different segments as Storykit videos. This way, you can also customise the onboarding process depending on who is watching.
Here is a breakdown of what you should include in your different types of onboarding videos.
What should you include in a welcome video?
In a welcome video for new employees, you may want to include a friendly introduction from the CEO or other key members of the organisation, an overview of the company culture, and information about the company's mission and values.
Additionally, you could provide an overview of the company's organisational structure, its history and accomplishments, and any recent news or updates.
Katarina Lorenz, Digital Project Manager at Einar Mattsson, a Swedish real estate firm that uses Storykit to transform their HR processes says:
“I always want to use video when we introduce our company to new employees. It's an excellent way to give them a feeling of our great culture, which is usually difficult to get a glimpse into, especially remotely.”
Overall, the goal of an employee welcome video is to provide new hires with a positive first impression of the company and help them feel welcomed and excited to be a part of the organisation.
What should you include in a expectations video?
This is a video that you can send out before your new hire even starts. In it you will want to tell them what they should expect during their first day, first weeks, and first months.
This can include everything from their technical setup, to the types of meetings they will be having and initial tasks they will be expected to complete. Setting expectations before they even walk in the door, will make them feel more comfortable diving into a new workplace.
What should you include in a company policy video?
When it comes to company policy videos, you will want to include anything that your new employee needs to know in regard to benefits and working life. This can be information about health insurance, retirement plans, vacation time, working hours, etc.
The points of these videos are to remove any gray areas and make your employee’s rights as clear as possible.
Katarina Lorenz says:
“Together with our HR department, we’re replacing parts of the induction process by creating videos in Storykit, for example by illustrating company policy using video. We can make simple and easily accessible videos about working with equality, diversity, and the like. In fact, we're discussing transforming our entire personnel manual into Storykit videos. Instead of reading a lot of text in a bulky PDF, our employees can watch a video about everything from how our pensions work to the holiday rules.”
What should you include in a product overview video?
If you are a SaaS company then you probably will want to make a product overview video for your new employees so they gain a solid understanding of your product — quickly.
Katrarina Lorenez stresses how valuable videos like this can be:
“Especially now that many are working remotely, people can become accustomed to the work much quicker if they have seen how things work”.
Here are several things you might want to include.
First and foremost, a comprehensive product demo is a great way to give new hires a sense of how your product works and what it can do for your customers. This might include a walk through of the different features and functions, as well as examples of how customers might use the product to achieve their goals.
Additionally, you might consider including interviews with key product managers or engineers who can provide additional context and insight into the product's development and evolution over time.
Finally, it can be helpful to share customer success stories or case studies that demonstrate the value your product can provide in real-world scenarios.
Overall, the goal of an onboarding product video should be to provide new employees with a clear and compelling understanding of your product, its key features and benefits, and the impact it can have on your customers.
6 examples of inspiring onboarding videos
1. Storykit: Onboarding expectations
The Storykit onboarding expectations video is a powerful tool for setting new hires up for success before they even step foot in the door. This video outlines what employees can expect during their first day, first two weeks, first month, third month, and fifth month, including meetings, activities, and tasks. By providing new employees with a clear understanding of what to expect in their role, this video helps them feel prepared and confident from day one.
2. Dropbox: Product overview
This Dropbox product overview video is great for onboarding new hires. In it, they present a clear understanding of their customer’s pain points and the solutions they provide using a well-crafted scenario. It’s concise, engaging, and easy to grasp for anyone entering the company.
3. Google: Life at the company
Google does a great job setting the tone of the workplace with this video. Not only do they have different employees explain what its like to work at Google, but they show them working in different places around the organisation. This is a great way for new hires to visualise what a day in the life could look like.
4. Netflix: Company culture
Netflix provides an insightful culture video that delves into the company's core value of "Freedom and Responsibility." The video sheds light on what this value truly means and how it translates into day-to-day operations. By featuring employees from across the globe, viewers gain a firsthand understanding of how F&R manifests in their work and personal lives. This comprehensive insight into the company culture is an invaluable tool for new hires to assimilate and thrive within the organisation.
5. True Car: CEO welcome video
True Car's CEO has created an engaging welcome video that offers an exceptional opportunity for new employees to hear directly from the person in charge and gain insights into the company culture and vision. This is particularly beneficial in large organisations, where it may be challenging for new hires to meet the CEO in person. Having a video like this can set employees up for success and foster a sense of belonging from day one.
6. Amazon: Training videos
Amazon offers a comprehensive series of training videos for new delivery associates, providing a thorough understanding of their new role. These videos are a valuable tool for ensuring consistency in information and best practices among all new hires. The accessibility of these videos also enables employees to revisit the training material at their own convenience, reinforcing their knowledge and skills as needed. Amazon's commitment to providing high-quality training through video demonstrates the company's dedication to equipping their employees with the tools and knowledge necessary to succeed in their role.
6 onboarding video templates that you can start using now
At Storykit we know that having awesome professional videos is so fun for your newcomers, your company and your employer brand. However, we also know that creating awesome onboarding videos can be costly, time-consuming, and difficult to keep up-to-date.
That's why we recommend using Storykit, a platform that allows you to create unlimited onboarding videos that are powerful, informative, and cost-effective. With Storykit's templates, you can quickly and easily create engaging videos that deliver your message effectively.
1. Operational goals video template
Explain why you do what you do to your new hire. This could be your mission and vision, explaining why your product is designed the way it is or why you use a certain marketing strategy to achieve your goals.
2. History video template
Use this template to give the history of your organisation. In order for your new employees to understand where you’re going, they need to know where you’ve been.
3. Insights video template
Introduce your new hires to the different parts of your organisation this template. Make a video to showcase each department or give insights into the way you work.
4. Policy video template
Use this template to present important information from your handbook.
5. Product overview video template
Use the ‘How-To’ Template to demonstrate what your product is or how it works for your new employees.
6. Leadership video template
Use the ‘Leadership Message’ Template to allow your CEO to give a welcome message to your new employees or catch them up on what is going on.
Need more ideas? Check out the rest of our awesome templates!
4 tips for creating effective employee onboarding videos
Creating onboarding videos may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be. Don't stress yourself out by trying to create everything at once.
Start by identifying the most critical pieces of information that new hires need to know, and create videos around those topics. Or better yet, pick one topic and just start with that.
Over time, you can add more videos and refine your onboarding process to ensure a smooth and effective transition for new employees. Remember, the goal is to make onboarding a positive experience, not a source of stress for you or your new hires.
Here are 4 tips to keep in mind when you start making your first onboarding video.
1. Keep your videos short, relevant and to the point
Just because the topics may be serious or nitty gritty doesn’t mean you have to be! It’s also better to make several shorter videos than one long video, to keep interest.
2. Where you can, be personal and friendly, rather than authoritative and stuffy
Let your great company culture shine through.
3. Feature team members and friendly faces
People remember and engage more with faces in video, so use talking heads and interviews in your onboarding content
4. Focus on your audience, not yourself
It’s easy to use “we”, but try and refocus the talk about your employees and what you as a company want to do for them.
For more onboarding best practices have a look at 12 onboarding best practices.
Start creating engaging videos for your employee onboarding process with Storykit
By this point you should be feeling inspired and ready to turn your company onboarding strategy up a notch. With Storykit, anyone can create professional-quality onboarding videos.
Our platform offers an AI that can turn any text into engaging video, as well as pre-made templates that make it easy to get started, even if you're new to video creation. You can choose from a range of options, including employee welcome videos, product tutorials, and much more.
We want to help you create engaging, informative onboarding videos that will help your new hires hit the ground running.
