Engaging your employees through video

Article en cours de parution, écrit pour PlayPlay : https://playplay.video/

In our connected and rapidly changing society, human capital has become one of corporations’ main challenges. Employees have become essential promoters of their employers’ brand and product. We at PlayPlay believe we can help you overcome this challenge in a simple, fun and effective way!

Strangely enough, in a world where unemployment is a scourge in many developed countries, corporations struggle more and more to attract and retain talent. Here are our little secrets about becoming a more attractive employer.

1. Human capital: an urgent challenge for corporations

In our highly competitive world, having engaged employees is a key to competitive advantage. Research has shown that it even allows the organization to innovate and compete on the market.

Why is that so?

Employees are part of your organization’s production force, and as so, have a direct influence on its performance; but they are also corporate ambassadors that represent the organization on a daily basis towards external stakeholders.

Your employees are now your brand’s best –or worst- advocates.

Basically, if you’re a shitty employer, people will end up knowing. Social media will make sure to that. That’s a tricky one, since only 13% of employees say they feel engaged at their workplace.

In that context, lack of engagement from new generations of workers is costing corporations billions of dollars.

Turnover rates presently cost the American economy $3 billion annually, not counting the costs of absenteeism.

Unfortunately, these figures should not be going down any time soon when already in 2016, Millenials surpassed their Generation X predecessors in the workforce.

40% of Millenials state that they are willing to change their position within 2 years, and 80% of them look at people and culture fit with prospective employers before career potential when applying for a job.

New generations care about their jobs in non-traditional ways, meaning salary is no longer the main criterion. They want to be passionate! Feel involved! Make a sense of their long working hours! Serve a bigger cause! Love their teammates!

As a result, “Employee Engagement” is now among the top five challenges employers face, states a 2015 study published by HRN Europe. In fact, corporations are now knocking their heads on walls trying to understand how they can become attractive for young workers. Have no fear: there are ways to help them feel involved in their job.

2. How to implement a corporate branding strategy

Corporate branding: a key to driving employee engagement

What exactly is corporate branding?

It was traditionally thought as the way in which external stakeholders view a corporation. We now know it includes many other aspects of companies such as the evaluation of products and services, corporate identity and culture, sponsorship, employment applications and brand extensions. It is the key for corporations to attracting and retaining working talent, as 75% of job seekers consider an employer’s brand before even applying for a job.

Corporate branding now has a lot to do with how the organization is viewed by its internal stakeholders, such as investors and employees.

This is called internal communication, a concept born in the 80s. It is a precious key that opens the mysterious door to workers’ engagement.

Retaining talent with internal communication

Varietal internal communication elements, such as innovative organizational communication initiatives, open channels of communication, constant feedback and information sharing fuel work engagement. Internal communication about the company’s advancements and challenges promotes a sense of commitment to the organization. It helps employees understand their long-term goals and threats, and how they can participate in the bigger picture, giving them a feeling of purpose.

As a result, in 2014, the Communication ROI Study report showed that companies with highly effective communication had had 47% higher total shareholder returns than firms with less effective communication.

On the other hand, poor communication can be counter-productive. Not communicating enough between employee and manager generates the birth of rumours, which fuel distrust and disappointment.

Employees who do not trust their management teams do not communicate their problems, resulting in low productivity.

Generations are becoming more and more concerned with the way their employers talk and listen to them. Transparency is a key element in engaging Millenials in the workplace, since they rely heavily on feedback and interaction and will appreciate being given the opportunity to give their opinion.

Collaboration has been proven to boost overall business performance by 36%.

Implementing a two-way internal communication strategy between employers and staff is a safe way to generate worker satisfaction.

3. Choose your channel wisely

There are many channels for internal communication, but some are more efficient than others. Employees might ignore messages if they are channelled through formats they dislike or find intrusive. Would you blame them? Who wants to read another email?

Why not use the most engaging type of content?

Video is the most engaging medium that has ever been created, and companies already know that: video is a top priority for 2018, as 85% of businesses would like to create more video content.

The figures speak for themselves:

· Video in an email leads to 200-300% increase in click-through rates.

· Visuals receive 94% more page visits and engagements than those without and elicit twice as many comments on average.

· When people hear information, they're likely to remember only 10% of that information three days later. However, if a relevant image is paired with that same information, people retained 65% of the information three days later.

Video is usually thought of as an external communication medium, but using it for internal communication purposes is a real game-changer since Millenials are already used to engaging with video to communicate outside of their workplace.

In 2012, 93% of internal communication professionals already believed that video was becoming essential to internal communications. Managers also crave for work-related videos: 75% of executives watch work-related videos at least weekly.

Installing the same dynamic type of tools with the workplace instead of boring, long print documents and reports is a sure way to engage them!

Videos humanize content in a way that print communication and emails never will.

Use video anywhere!

Videos can be embedded anywhere: in newsletters, on an internal network, a corporate social network or in in-company screens (in elevators or halls). They can convey many different types of messages and involve any member of the team, which makes them a powerful vector for two-way communication.

They are engaging and fun, and integrating them into your internal communication strategy will be too! What are you waiting for?

Watch out for out next article about easily implementing an internal communication strategy based on video!