Onboarding new employees is a critical process for companies to ensure success. Onboarding videos are an excellent way to introduce new hires to an organization and get them up to speed quickly. But what exactly should an effective onboarding video contain? Here are some key elements to include:
Welcome and Introduction
The video should start by warmly welcoming the viewer and introducing the company. Give a brief overview of the company’s history, mission, values, and culture. Consider having the CEO or a senior leader deliver the welcome message to add more impact.
Employee Testimonials
Include short video clips of current employees describing what they enjoy about working for the company and their team. This helps new hires connect with the culture and get excited about their new role.
Overview of Company Products/Services
Provide a high-level explanation of the company’s core products, services, or business areas. Explain how the company generates revenue and shares value with customers. Avoid getting too in-depth though.
Office Tour
Give new hires a virtual tour of the office space and introduce them to different teams and departments. This helps them learn office geography and puts faces to names they’ll be working with.
Key Team Members
Introduce new hires to the senior leadership team and key cross-functional team members they’ll be interacting with. Provide a brief overview of each person’s role and background.
Mission and Values
Reinforce the company’s mission, vision, values, and overarching goals. Explain why the mission is meaningful and how values guide decisions and culture.
Perks and Benefits
Give an overview of the company’s benefits package and unique perks that employees can take advantage of. This information is useful for total compensation and helps get new hires excited.
Training and Development
Provide information on training programs, learning opportunities, mentorship, and career development options. This shows the company is invested in ongoing employee growth.
Performance Expectations
Set clear expectations around performance and evaluation processes. Explain how success is measured and any key performance indicators used.
Policies and Procedures
Review any important company policies, procedures, tools, and resources that new hires should be aware of. Provide links or directions on where to find more detailed information.
Workplace Culture
Describe the overall culture and work environment of the company. What are typical work schedules? Is the dress code casual or formal? What collaboration tools does the team use? Providing these details accelerates a new hire’s cultural acclimation.
Open Door Policy
Emphasize that employees can ask questions and raise concerns at any time. Explain the “open door policy” and introduce new hires to HR contacts and key mentors.
Safety Information
Review any safety procedures, emergency contacts, and location of first aid kids. This ensures new hires know how to stay safe on the job.
Next Steps
Close the video by outlining next steps for the new hire, such as completing any paperwork, attending orientation, meeting with their manager, and starting work. Prompt them to reach out with any questions.
Conclusion
An effective onboarding video should inform, excite, and welcome new hires. Include key details about the company, culture, perks, expectations, and training while introducing employees to their new workplace and colleagues. Following onboarding best practices in a video creates a smooth transition into a new role at the organization.
Here is an example table:
| Department | Number of Employees |
|---|---|
| Marketing | 50 |
| Sales | 100 |
| Engineering | 200 |
The onboarding process sets the tone for a new employee’s entire tenure at a company. A thoughtful, well-produced video that covers critical topics helps ensure a successful start. The video should inform and excite new hires while communicating key details about workplace culture, expectations, training, and next steps. Include introductions to key leaders and team members to help new employees feel welcomed and connected.
Here are some additional tips for creating an effective onboarding video:
- Keep it short – aim for 2-4 minutes maximum
- Have high production value with strong visuals
- Make it cheerful and inspiring in tone
- Provide transcripts and subtitles for accessibility
- Consider disseminating in multiple formats like social media
- Tailor the content to your company’s unique culture and business
- Include relevant points but avoid information overload
- Feel free to get creative and stand out!
Onboarding is a precious opportunity to make a lasting positive impression on a new hire. The onboarding video kicks off the experience on a high note and gets employees productive and integrated faster. Invest time into crafting a thoughtful, high-quality video that educates new hires while getting them excited to start their new role.
Here are some key data points on effective onboarding (1):
- Companies with a strong onboarding process improve new hire retention by 82%
- Structured onboarding boosts new hire productivity by over 70%
- Employees who go through well-structured onboarding are 58% more likely to be with the organization after three years
Investing in onboarding contributes to significant performance gains across these types of metrics. Onboarding videos provide an efficient way to convey a large amount of helpful information to new employees in an engaging format.
What specifically should be included in onboarding videos? Here is a checklist of key components (2):
| Onboarding Video Component | Details |
|---|---|
| Welcome | Warm welcome and introduction from CEO or senior leadership |
| Company Overview | High-level overview of company history, mission, values, products/services |
| Employee Testimonials | Quotes from current employees on culture and their roles |
| Office Tour | Virtual tour of office space and teams |
| Leadership Intros | Introductions to key executives and leadership team members |
| Mission and Values | Explanation of company mission, vision, values, and goals |
| Benefits | Overview of benefits package and unique perks |
| Training Programs | Description of training, mentorsip, and development opportunities |
| Performance Expectations | Review of performance management process and expectations |
| Policies and Resources | Highlights of workplace policies, procedures, tools and resources |
This checklist covers the core elements that help onboard new hires and get them productive faster. The video format allows companies to convey this breadth of information in a dynamic, engaging way.
Here are some onboarding video best practices (3):
- Keep video short – no longer than 5 minutes
- Make it energetic and fast-paced
- Highlight company culture and values
- Include interviews/testimonials from real employees
- Have high quality production value
- Use strong visuals – graphics, animations, b-roll footage
- Reinforce company mission and purpose
- Provide transcripts for accessibility
- Introduce key contacts and mentors
- Outline clear next steps for new hire
Following these best practices helps craft an onboarding video that excites, educates, and welcomes new hires. Short videos around 2-3 minutes are ideal for holding viewer attention and delivering impactful information.
Here are some creative examples of effective onboarding videos from leading companies:
BuzzFeed (4)
- Fast-paced montage with upbeat music
- Shows office culture, dogs in the office, employee events, free snacks
- Depicts collaborative, casual, fun environment
Netflix (5)
- Opens with Netflix’s company values
- Outlines “keeper test” framework for making decisions
- Shows clips of the previous onboarding experience at Netflix
Twitter (6)
- CEO Dick Costolo provides welcome message
- Fast edits between different Twitter offices globally
- Shows peeks of office design and employee events
These examples showcase how leading companies make onboarding videos unique to their brands. The videos highlight cultural elements and values in an engaging, cinematic style.
In summary, effective onboarding videos should:
- Welcome and introduce new hires to the company
- Provide an overview of the company’s history, mission, values, and business
- Depict company culture through office tours, employee testimonials
- Introduce key executives and team members
- Explain workplace policies, procedures, tools, and resources
- Set clear expectations for performance and conduct
- Outline training, mentoring, and development opportunities
- Close with next steps for the new hire
Onboarding videos allow companies to inform, excite, and welcome new employees in an efficient, consistent, scalable manner. Following best practices and infusing videos with a dose of creativity ensures an impactful experience that accelerates new hire onboarding.
