Why You Should Be Using Video for Onboarding New Staff

Onboarding helps to integrate new employees into a business, preparing them for their roles while also setting the tone of the brand. However, traditional onboarding methods, such as lengthy presentations, dry manuals, or overly complex documents, often fail to engage new hires. Employees can feel overwhelmed, disengaged, or struggle to retain the information.

This is where video onboarding comes in — a modern, dynamic solution to streamline the process and make it more impactful. By incorporating videos into your onboarding strategy, you can create a richer, more engaging experience that enhances information retention and boosts productivity from day one. Here’s why video should be at the heart of your onboarding programme.

Let’s face it—lengthy texts and static presentations aren’t the most inspiring way to introduce employees to your company. Videos, on the other hand, are inherently engaging. Through compelling visuals, storytelling, and dynamic pacing, video content captures and maintains the viewer’s attention far better than traditional methods.

For example, onboarding videos can bring your company’s mission, culture, and values to life. Instead of reading a paragraph about teamwork, new employees can watch a short, visually appealing clip that demonstrates your company ethos in action. This level of engagement fosters excitement and helps employees feel connected to your organisation.

Certain aspects of onboarding, such as learning how to use a new software tool or understanding complex workflows, can be challenging to explain using text alone. Video simplifies this process by offering visual demonstrations, animations, and step-by-step guides that make difficult concepts easier to understand.

Imagine a new hire learning to operate an unfamiliar platform. A well-produced video tutorial can provide a clear walkthrough of its features, showing how to perform tasks in real-time. This method of learning is more intuitive and reduces the cognitive load, allowing employees to grasp practical skills faster and with greater confidence.

When onboarding is conducted manually by different people, there’s always a risk of inconsistency. Each trainer may communicate slightly different information, leading to gaps in understanding.

By using video, you ensure that every employee receives the same standardised training. A professionally created onboarding video guarantees that key points are covered every time, eliminating discrepancies and maintaining quality across the board. Consistency in training also ensures compliance, particularly in industries with strict regulations.

Onboarding videos empower employees to learn at their own pace. New hires can pause, rewind, and re-watch videos as needed, which helps them retain information better. This approach accommodates different learning speeds and styles, making the onboarding process more inclusive.

For remote or hybrid teams, this flexibility is particularly valuable. Employees can access onboarding content from anywhere, ensuring a smooth onboarding experience regardless of their location or time zone.

Traditional onboarding often requires significant time investment from managers or HR staff. Repeating the same presentations or one-on-one training sessions for every new hire can be both inefficient and draining.

Once created, onboarding videos can be reused indefinitely, freeing up valuable time for your team. They also reduce the need for printed materials or in-person training sessions, which can lead to cost savings. Over time, the investment in video onboarding becomes well worth it.

Studies consistently show that people retain more information when it’s presented in a visual format compared to text alone. 

By using video to deliver important messages, you can ensure your employees remember key policies, workflows, and compliance requirements. Interactive elements, such as quizzes embedded in the videos, can also reinforce understanding and make learning more engaging.

A well-crafted video onboarding programme reflects positively on your organisation. Investing in high-quality, engaging training videos shows that your company values innovation and is willing to embrace modern solutions.

This can leave a lasting impression on new employees, helping to establish your business as a forward-thinking and professional workplace. Moreover, it signals that you are invested in their success from the outset.

Onboarding videos are a game-changer in creating a seamless and effective onboarding experience. They simplify complex information, save time, and offer a consistent, engaging, and flexible approach to training, while allowing your new hires to hit the ground running.

If you’re ready to invest in onboarding videos that educate, inspire, and empower, please get in touch and we’ll be happy to help.

How long should an onboarding video be?
Aim for videos between 5–10 minutes to maintain attention. For more complex topics, break them into shorter, focused segments.

What kind of content should an onboarding video include?
Cover essential topics like company values, policies, job expectations, and role-specific training. Add visual examples and testimonials for a personal touch.

Are onboarding videos suitable for all types of companies?
Onboarding videos can be tailored to suit any industry, whether it’s tech, retail, or hospitality. Customisation ensures relevance and impact.How can I measure the success of onboarding videos?
Track metrics like completion rates, feedback surveys, and post-onboarding assessments to evaluate their effectiveness.