Everybody knows the first day of a new job sucks. This has been a fact of life for as long as anyone can remember. The only real surprise is that more companies haven’t done anything to improve the onboarding process before now. In their book, ‘The Power of Moments’ Dan and Chip Heath describe an employee’s first day on the job to highlight how new recruits can feel neglected and uncomfortable.
“The lack of attention paid to an employee’s first day is mind-boggling. What a wasted opportunity to not make a new team member feel included and appreciated.”
The fact of the matter is that most companies today do not provide an effective employee onboarding program. New HR trends show that 32% of executives say they experience a poor onboarding process and 22% of staff turnover occurs within 45 days. On the flip side, a Glassdoor report suggests companies that deliver a strong onboarding program increase employee retention by as much as 82%. According to HR Manager Michael Chung, the first day at a new job is “a powerful moment that sets up your attitude for the rest of your time there.”
Given 25% of employees leave within the first year and turnover costs can amount to between £11,000 and £100,000, UK businesses really need to rethink and reform employee onboarding and orientation processes.
Employee Onboarding Videos
Animation and gamification videos help to create a good first impression, inform new recruits of the company vision, introduce the company culture and excite new hires about working for your company. They enable you to start as you intend to go on. According to Deloitte Insights, existing orientation programs and models to measure employee engagement are inadequate. Most companies use vendor-provided software and conduct annual surveys to benchmark job satisfaction.
Whilst these programs are engineered with the help of psychologists, they are based on statistical variables and don’t help executives understand how to build a culture of engagement. The same report reveals 80 per cent of organisations believe employees are overwhelmed with information, yet less than eight per cent have programs to help them deal with it.
All these problems can be resolved with animated videos and gamification. When companies explain the culture, work processes, expectation levels and everything else through meetings and company literature, employee quickly lose interest. Visual learning, on the other hand, helps new hires to digest information without sending them into a head spin. What’s more, animated videos and gamification is a fun and engaging way for people to take in new information, learn and feel excited about working for your company.
The human brain responds better to visual cues because its main function is to process images we experience every day. The sensory cortex – in the most developed part of the brain – is practically devoted to vision, much more so than words. Quite simply, animated videos are an effective way of communicating relevant information in a format that plain words do not do justice. Not only that but the human brain records images easier than verbal communication and aids memory recall.
The Popularity of Animated Videos
Smart Insights shows that interactive video is growing in popularity. A survey reveals that 83% of marketing professionals expect to make more interactive video content because they produce higher engagement numbers. Because animated videos can be tailored to whoever is watching them, businesses can expect the same results from employee training and development that marketers are finding in marketing content. This also means that employees taking up executive positions or managerial roles do not have to experience the same orientation program and training material as entry-level employees.
It’s not a coincidence that companies are increasingly moving towards eLearning as an ongoing training method rather than instructor-led training sessions. eLearning is proven to increase employee engagement and enhance employee education at a lower cost. Adding animated videos and gamification to your employee onboarding program supports the ongoing training process employees need to perform their job more efficiently and progress through the ranks. Given employees are a company’s most important asset, it makes business sense to invest in employee education, engagement and retention from the very first day.
Not only is a quality onboarding experience beneficial to your new team members, but they also save money because they help new recruits learn quicker and stay loyal to the company. Why not make the first day for your new employees a fun and personalised experience. Animated videos and gamification are a great way of creating a memorable day and provides new hires with valuable insights to your company.
Are you are thinking of incorporating an animation or gamifying your onboarding programme? Drop us an email at info@sbanimation.com or give us a call on +44 (0)207 148 0526
