Take Onboarding to the Next Level with Video Assessment

All new hires go throughsome kind of onboarding program, but how extensive it is depends on theorganization. According to a report from the SHRM Foundation (a Society of Human Resource Managementaffiliate), a company’s onboarding strategy falls into one of three levelsdepending on how well it incorporates the Four C’s of onboarding—compliance,clarification, culture, and connection. Here are the three levels. Take youronboarding to the next level by adding video assessment to your practice.

Passive Onboarding, or Level 1, covers compliance and some roleclarification, but doesn’t directly address company culture or relationshipbuilding. SHRM describes passive onboarding as functional, but unsystematic.

High Potential Onboarding encompasses compliance and clarification, while someculture and connection procedures exist. However, companies at Level 2 have notcompletely established a systematic onboarding process across the entireorganization.

Proactive Onboarding refers to a system where all Four C’s are formally andsystematically addressed. Only about 20 percent of organizations have thislevel on onboarding in place, according to SHRM.

So, why does any of thismatter?

Research has shown thateffective onboarding programs can improve employee performance by nearly 12 percent. Employee retention, manager satisfaction, andemployee engagement also increase when new hires go through systematiconboarding.

With so much datasupporting a comprehensive onboarding strategy, many organizations have madeestablishing one a top priority. A lot goes into creating a successfulonboarding program, but one of the best ways to get new hires ahead of thecurve is to begin the process prior to Day One on the job. That’s where videoassessment comes in.

Learning through video assessment

Most onboarding programsuse video to foster engagement and enhance learning—two things that become evenmore important when the process begins from a distance. It’s common to seeorganizations explain office policies, company culture, and jobresponsibilities on video, but assessment is often the missing piece. Without evidenceof comprehension, how docompanies quantify what new hires understand and the overall effectiveness oftheir onboarding program?

The best video assessmentplatforms provide organizations with that evidence and more. Before evaluationoccurs, new hires submit video responses as part of an exercise that companiescustomize with relevant content. New hires complete these video activitiesasynchronously, or on their own time, allowing multiple people at the companyto evaluate their submission.

To get the most authenticrepresentation of what new hires understand, it’s important for organizationsto set up exercises where individuals show what they know. In other words,instead of asking new hires to watch a video and then answer multiple-choicequestions about its content, have them articulate their knowledge or apply whatthey’ve learned to a different scenario. Doingthis turns passive video consumption into an active learning experience.

What active learning looks like

Active learningexperiences for onboarding often consist of exercises geared toward compliance,clarification, culture, and connection. Employers can create video activitiesoutlining aspects of the Four C’s and then have new hires respond accordingly.Here is what that might look like within each category:

• Compliance:Compliance isn’t the most exciting topic, but videoactivities can make rules and regulations more engaging. After outlining acompany policy, employers can create a mock situation and ask the new hire toapply what they know to determine the correct course of action.
• Clarification:New hires probably understand the majority of their jobresponsibilities, but role clarification is necessary in some situations. Forinstance, if a sales rep signs a client, what are all of their responsibilitieswith the new client? Setting up mock situations and going over them can have alot of value down the line.
• Culture:There is always a feeling-out process when employeesstart a new job, but video activities can givenew hires a glimpse into company norms. Having them critically analyze a situation involvingwork attire or behavior can help them avoid future conflicts.
• Connection:A great way to start building meaningful relationshipsfrom a distance is to involve a manager or employee from the new hire’sdepartment in an exercise. Have this person describe the team and themselvesbefore asking the new hire to share some of their interests in return. Not onlydoes this inject more of a human element into the onboarding process, but it alsoclues the new hire into the personality of the office and their futurecoworkers.  

Once new hires complete anexercise, video assessment platforms often give organizations multiple optionsto evaluate them. There are typically summative assessment options such aspercentage grades and five-star ratings, but the more meaningful evaluationsare usually formative. The ability to give new hires personalized feedback andcoaching on their videos helps them identify areas to improve and givesemployers a better idea of how to develop them going forward. Take youronboarding to the next level by using the ideas I’ve presented here —the payoffis great!