While the ability to work remotely is an important benefit for today’s workforce, many companies are finding it difficult to keep their virtual team members engaged. This lack of engagement, coupled with other factors like burnout, low pay, and not enough opportunities for advancement, are some of the top reasons why millions of people are quitting their jobs each month as part of the Great Resignation.

Fortunately, there’s a lot that companies can do to prevent their remote team members from jumping ship. Improving the employee value proposition is a good place to start — leaders should prioritize worker well-being, offer better pay and benefits, and create clear paths for career development. But with these key building blocks in place, employers would be wise to take a closer look at one key factor that can have ripple effects on remote worker engagement: how they’re communicating with people along their entire journey at work.

And by “communicating,” I don’t just mean sending out corporate announcements (although these are important, of course). This is also about how you on-board new remote team members, how you teach employees the skills they need to succeed, and how you foster a deeper connection to your company’s culture, mission, and values.

If your business relies primarily on written communication for these critical touchpoints, it could be time to rethink your approach. Remember, today’s remote workers are suffering from isolation and loneliness more than ever before. They’re also overloaded with information due to the significant rise in digital communications. For these team members, forcing endless reading materials on them may not be the most effective way to engage them, and it could even be contributing to burnout and retention issues — something few companies can afford right now.

One solution? More video content, according to a new survey from LumApps, which offers an industry-leading employee experience platform. Their research found that the nearly all employees (91%) believe there are benefits of accessing video content at work. This makes sense, when you think about it — there’s a reason why video conferencing technologies like Zoom exploded in popularity during the pandemic. Video is simply a more engaging tool to communicate with. It’s also a more effective way to get your message across.

Consider Edgar Dale’s theory, The Cone of Experience, which states that people remember 50% of what they see and hear versus just 10% of what they read. No matter what aspect of work we’re talking about, these statistics provide a strong rationale for leaders to rethink how they’re communicating with their people and contemplate whether they’re investing enough in video-based content.

The truth is, most companies aren’t making the most of video — that is, beyond video conferencing tools. With this in mind, let’s look at some of the benefits that this communication format can offer, and explore how your company can harness the power of video to boost remote worker engagement.

#1 - Videos can elevate the on-boarding process for new staff

Imagine it’s your first day of work, and rather than touring your new office, meeting your fellow team members, and shaking hands with senior leaders, you’re alone in your home office. This is the reality for many remote employees, but using videos as part of your on-boarding process can create a much different experience for them. And that’s critical, because companies with a robust on-boarding process improve new hire retention by a whopping 82% and productivity by 70%.

On-boarding will always require some paperwork, but videos can provide a much more immersive and human introduction to your company — one that will help create an immediate connection for new staff. You can leverage videos to bring your culture to life, whether that’s via virtual office tours, interviews with senior leaders, or sound bites from current team members about their experience working at your company.

#2 - Videos can boost employee learning efforts

One of the biggest ways that video can impact your staff is by making their learning efforts more effective and enjoyable. LumApps found that internal training videos are the #1 type of video that employees want, and 49% say they retain more information from watching a video than reading content. Other research validates this; for example, one study discovered that when concepts are presented via video, retention of information increases by 65%.

With so many organizations transitioning to remote working over the past two years, it’s no surprise that companies like YouTube and LinkedIn have experienced explosive growth in their video-based learning content. But while these platforms can augment your staff’s learning experience, they shouldn’t replace your company’s internal initiatives. In fact, LumApps found that 53% of employees prefer that videos are hosted internally, so they can avoid ads, irrelevant videos, and unwanted data tracking.

#3 – Videos provide a more effective way to keep workers up-to-date on company happenings

A study conducted by Wakefield Research found that 89% of office workers said daily work tasks such as sorting through an inbox of unopened emails is one of the most unpleasant parts of working remotely. Clearly, the shift to remote work has its downsides — and companies would be wise to address some of these frustrations before it’s too late. In fact, the survey uncovered that more than one-third of workers (38%) said that ‘email fatigue’ is likely to push them to quit their jobs!

One way to move the needle on this? Rather than pushing out corporate announcements in long emails, provide the information your workforce needs in an easy-to-digest video format. In LumApps’ research, over half (52%) of employees agreed that they enjoy watching videos more than reading content. And according to one report, people are up to 75% more likely to watch a video than they are to read documents or articles. Video, therefore, could be a critical way to help your workers connect with your business, your company culture, and more.

A small switch that can yield big results

Incorporating video-rich content into your employee experience may seem insignificant at first glance, but it can have far-reaching effects — especially for your remote team members. Reaching people via video can completely shift how they perceive your company when they first start, it can enhance their learning and development journey, and it can boost their engagement with important company messaging. Taken together, these factors can have a real impact on whether your remote staff decide to stick around in the long-run — and in today’s employee-driven job market, that’s certainly no small matter.

Thanks for reading — be sure to join the conversation on LinkedIn and let me know your thoughts on this topic!

​

​