Video is a highly effective communication method but one expert says HR isn’t using it to its full advantage.
Organisations are increasingly using video as a communication tool within the workplace but those that don’t employ it at the very outset are missing a big opportunity, warns one industry expert.
Veteran filmmaker Vern Oakley has worked with countless major corporations, including American Express, KMPG, and NASA, to create internal videos – he says the on-boarding process is one area which can benefit the most.
According to Oakley, multiple videos can be used during the day of on-boarding to guide employees through the process while also increasing engagement. Here, he describes one of the most effective strategies he’s seen to date so other employers can apply the same approach.
“The first thing we started out with was video which made everyone feel very proud that they had made the right choice,” he says. “You’re reengaging them, recommitting them, selling the brand, selling the why and what's so special about that.”
The second video, played later in the day, featured the chairman and deputy chairman talking about their own personal passion for the company as well as some of the milestones the firm had reached and storms it had weathered, says Oakley.
“The third video was how to build a career within the company and the fourth video was about all the good things the company was doing in the community,” he continues. “So you got sense that you were really joining a special company.”
Finally, the firm wrapped up with a company credo and Oakley says the end result was evident.
“By the time the people finished the interaction and on-boarding, you had really, really smart people who were engaged, who had been recruited, who had been hired, who understood where the company was going, what was expected of them, and how they could be successful,” he says.
“That makes you feel like you want to be there, you want to show up every day.”
For employers that are considering bolstering their video efforts, Oakley says it’s important to remain authentic and tie any video to the company’s overall strategy.
“What you experience in many corporate videos is they're really trying to gloss over things,” he says, before warning employers that the approach is actually far less effective.
“Tell an authentic story,” he urges. “That's much more engaging.”
