Looking at Traditional Methods of Training versus Video Training for Educating and Training Employees
Staff training is essential for specific purposes related to your particular business, and depending on the sector you’re in, you may require new workers to undertake instruction in first aid, food handling or a new booking system – just to cite a few examples. Incorporating training that develops employees toward long-term career goals can also promote greater morale and job satisfaction, and we can tell you from working with all kinds of companies and some of their HR departments, a more satisfied employee is likely to stay longer and be more productive while on your team.
GSTN Quick Stat: A recent survey indicated that 40-percent of employees who receive poor job training leave their positions within the first year, citing the lack of skills training and development as the primary reason for moving on.
General Benefits of Training
Before we delve into the specifics of traditional methods of training as compared to video training for employees, let’s take a look at some of the general benefits training provides.
Irrespective of the initial monetary costs, the training of staff pays back your investment in the form of development initiatives such as:
- Helping your business run better, as trained employees will be better equipped to handle customer inquiries, make a sale or use advanced computer systems.
- Creating a recruitment tool, as workers specifically within today’s younger demographic are looking for more than a paycheck; they are seeking employment that allows them to learn new skills, so you are more likely to attract and keep good employees if you can offer development opportunities.
- Promoting job satisfaction, as nurturing employees to develop a more rounded skill set will help them contribute to the company; the more engaged and involved they are in working for your success, the better your rewards.
- Creating a retention tool and instilling loyalty and commitment from good workers, as staff seeking the next challenge will be more likely to stay if you offer ways for them to learn and grow while with your company.
- Adding flexibility and efficiency, as you can cross-train employees so that they’re capable in more than one aspect of the business.
- Knowledge transfer, as it’s very important to share knowledge among your staff because if only one individual boasts special skills, you will find yourself in a tough spot recouping their knowledge if they suddenly leave the company.
- Giving seasonal workers a reason to return, as letting seasonal employees know there are more ways than one to contribute boots morale.
The Primary Ways to Use Video for Effective Employee Training
Quite easily, managers can utilize employee training videos to not only train but address problems quickly with greater and more efficient impact, collaborate and share knowledge…and we’re going to show you how these methods compare to traditional means of employee training.
To begin with, it should be common knowledge that during new employee training, your managers need to share a plethora of information with employees without the benefit of having loads of time to do so. In today’s world, with so many people working remotely, it has been typically unfeasible for companies to send all new employees to one centralized location for traditional, personal training. As a professional video agency that has worked with a number of clients up and down the spectrum, Green Screen Talent Now knows that the method in which new employees are trained often dictates their efficiency, now and in the future. In order to keep employees’ skills sharp while updating them on new procedures and operations, ongoing training is necessary…yet training for countless hours within a classroom setting is not always the most productive means for employees to learn and absorb company product information and operational policies efficiently.
Enter video. Indeed, video can facilitate enhanced levels of retention and more effective training by way of on-demand “modules” and live Webcasting that employees can process and view at their own comfortable pace. How is this accomplished? Video-based training can now be realized without the hassle of travel – at home offices, employees’ desks or even at a neighborhood Starbucks, thus minimizing costs and disruption.
Here are the primary benefits Green Screen Talent Now believes video can offer companies to train new employees and keep them updated with regard to new policies and products:
I. Quickly “Getting on Board”
Human Resource teams and managers need to communicate information that’s deemed important for any position, often in merely two to three days. As we prepare to enter the year 2016, communicating copious volumes of complex information is more effectively accomplished in a VISUAL manner, which has traditionally meant in-person. But now, instead of having employees report to the one location where Human Resources personnel are stationed, management staff can take advantage of video to share data from more than one source…quickly and easily.
GSTN Tip: Create – or have a company like Green Screen Talent Now create for you – short videos of easy-to-absorb content, with each video being shorter than five minutes as they can be digested and comprehended much more quickly.
With a solution based on a video platform, recently hired individuals can quickly access a library of video assets that encompass corporate policies including benefit programs, hiring and travel. What’s more, when video assets are managed by an “enterprise video platform,” managers can also rest assured knowing employees are watching the videos and complying with “onboarding” by tracking viewer statistics for each new hire.
II. Product Launches and Ongoing Training
With new upgrades and even new products being released by companies all the time, constant market changes require additional information for departments such as sales teams and individual employees to comprehend. Video comes into play here by having a significant impact on the speed at which employees learn as opposed to traditional training methods.
Regular product update videos assist existing employees so that they may dynamically discuss products with partners, customers and outside entities such as the media, while product demonstration videos provide instruction on exactly how a product works, thus helping employees communicate those benefits during meetings, on trade show floors and on sales calls. Daily five-minute videos can get employees in the right frame of mind and up to speed before hitting the sales floor each morning. When housed in an internal company library – such as those accessible through IBM WebSphere, Microsoft SharePoint or any enterprise portal platform – employees can watch videos to “bone up” before meetings, too.
III. Professional Development and Guest Speakers
The party isn’t over once employees have “onboarded” with their teams and have become familiarized with products, services and policies…there is still more to learn. More than a few businesses offer continuing education options beyond new product training to cover the latest professional marketing development, sales skills and market trends. Now, these companies and businesses can offer these educational portals through video-on-demand courses or live video Webcasting, with certain video solutions enabling video clips, Web browser interaction, PowerPoint presentations or virtually any application that interacts and synchronizes with the presenter.
Further, valuable course content can be preserved easily and shared, enhancing employee collaboration and knowledge retention.
GSTN Tip: Always remember that video management platforms can improve the ability to search, share and create video assets, so ensuring an accessible and organized library of content enables “students” to access what they require.
The bottom line is this: If you’re a manager, Human Resources rep or business owner, you can easily use video communication to address problems, share knowledge, collaborate and train quickly and with greater efficiency and impact. In the end, video training can shorten what we call “onboarding” time, enrich continued education and increase knowledge retention for team members and employees of all kinds.