Dive Brief:

• Small businesses do not have the benefit of elaborate onboarding programs due to lack of resources, but they do have a more hands-on approach that includes leadership involvement, says Heinan Landa, CEO of Optimal Networks, a technology support firm based in the Washington, D.C. area.

• Video should be a part of any employee onboarding process because it’s a scalable method of orienting new hires to the company, utilizing available resources and people, Landa writes for Chicago Business Journal. Video training can be created over time, and it saves time and money.

• Landa mentions that the key benefits of video training include: sharing of valuable insight from company leaders, 24/7 video accessibility, standardized corporate messaging to solidify the brand, and videos doubling as marketing materials. 

Dive Insight:

According to Brandon Hall Group research, 95% of companies now use some form of video in their training and development programs. Video is a powerful medium for increasing employee engagement and giving the company a “face”. Many businesses turn to video as part of their training due to a growing remote workforce, because videos are relatively easy to produce and share. 

It’s important to note the challenges that small and expanding businesses have with developing onboarding programs. These companies tend to lack resources and generally there have a solo human resource officer trying to do it all. Then there is the cost factor of creating onboarding and training content. Video training grows and adapts as the business needs change. Videos can be produced systematically as leaders are available, and added to a library of content that all employees can tap into for additional education.