We’ve all been there. Everyone starts as the rookie at some point, trying to figure out how things actually work around here. Those first few weeks can feel overwhelming. New systems, unfamiliar faces, unwritten rules (that nobody mentions in the handbook). These first impressions shape the entire onboarding experience. Let’s talk about onboarding video for new employees. With a short new hire video, you can deliver that excitement in minutes.
The wrong approach? You’re looking at confused employees, early departures, and wasted recruitment budgets.Onboarding video for new employeesbridges that gap beautifully. Turning those inevitable first-day jitters into real enthusiasm about what lies ahead.
Get onboarding right, and you’ve set your new hires up for success from day one💪.
The numbers never lie!
70% productivity boosts for companies that invest in proper onboarding.[1]
82% better retention rates. [2]
So, why do only 23% of companies actually use onboarding videos? The reasons vary, but most often it comes down to a lack of time and expertise. Companies shy away from creating onboarding videos simply because they don’t feel equipped to produce such material. You need a solid concept, a clear plan, coordinated efforts, the right equipment and it certainly helps to have graphic skills!
While your competitors stick to tedious paperwork and endless meetings, you could be offering new talent exactly what they want. And we’re here to help you make it happen!
Why proper onboarding actually pays off? Benefits of the onboarding process
Let’s talk about what you actually get when you invest in proper onboarding. Beyond the feel-good factor of making new hires feel welcome, there are real, measurable benefits. It’s those benefits that directly impact your bottom line and day-to-day operations.
Your recruitment costs drop dramatically
When new employees feel confident and connected from day one, they stay longer. You spend less time:
posting job ads,
conducting interviews,
training replacements.
That recruitment budget can go toward growth initiatives instead of constantly filling the same positions.
Your existing team stops getting interrupted
Right now, your top performers are probably bombarded with questions from new hires. Most of those queries are about basic processes. Onboarding videos can handle those automatically. That frees up your experienced staff to focus on real work, rather than acting as tour guides every few weeks.
From our own experience, we know that playing tour guide whilst juggling your daily responsibilities is both exhausting and nearly impossible to do well (if any of our new colleagues are reading this – no offense, guys! 😅). It’s simply much easier and… more pleasant when anew employeearrives already equipped with some basic knowledge about how the company works and what the rules are. You’d probably agree with that, wouldn’t you?
You get productive contributors faster
Instead of watching new team members stumble through their first month, you see them adding real value within weeks.
They understand expectations.
Know where to find resources.
Feel confident asking the right questions when they genuinely need help.
Your company culture strengthens naturally
When people understand your values and see them in action through well-crafted content, they integrate more smoothly. You get genuine culture carriers rather than people who never quite figure out how things work around here.
Let’s not keep your company’s practices and principles a big secret. From day one, show every new employee that they’re a full member of the team and part of a united group. The most stressful moment in a new workplace is when you feel like an outsider and believe you have to “earn” your place and acceptance. Wouldn’t it be better if your new hire felt comfortable and confident from day one?
Uncertainty leads to withdrawal, and withdrawal stifles ideas, creativity, and action. No employer wants that!
Your managers can actually manage
Rather than spending their time on basic orientation tasks, your team leaders can focus on strategic development, meaningful projects, and building the relationships that create long-term engagement.
Take a look at an example of a company that knew how to harness the potential of onboarding video. See how PGE ensures high work standards. The animation is aimed at employees and job candidates. In the video, we highlight what the company offers its staff and present specific numerical data.
Work standards at PGE – whiteboard animation (Polish version)
Why does onboarding video for new employees create emotional engagement?
Instead of a dry Excel sheet or a lengthy email, new hires feel part of the story from the very first second, not just passive recipients of another batch of facts.
Why it works?
10 reasons why it really works
1. Sensory blend of sight and sound.
Carefully crafted workplace visuals paired with the right voice tone and subtle audio cues bring the story to life. This combination grabs attention instantly and sticks. Because we remember experiences that involve both what we see and what we hear.
2. “You” focused narration.
When the video speaks to each newcomer with “you”, it feels like a one-on-one conversation. Suddenly, onboarding isn’t a checklist. It’s your own journey, and you’re at the centre of it.
3. Emotionally highlighting company values.
When values like collaboration, trust, and innovation are shown in real contexts, they stop feeling like empty slogans. New hires begin to believe these principles are backed by genuine actions and the people who live them.
4. Storytelling through visual metaphors.
Simple sketches. Dynamic graphics. Turn abstract ideas, like your company’s mission or values, into memorable visual metaphors. When new employees see complex processes animated step by step, they grasp meaning more intuitively and emotionally.
5. Cohesive brand experience.
Custom vectors, colour palettes, and iconography reinforce your brand identity from day one. Those consistent visual cues create familiarity and trust, so new hires feel they’ve stepped into a well-designed, welcoming environment.
6. Rhythmic pacing and focus.
Animations guide attention through carefully timed scenes and transitions. This pacing mirrors natural human curiosity, pauses for key messages, accelerations to build excitement. Onboarding feel like an engaging narrative rather than a checklist.
7. Inclusive communication.
Using animation means you can show every face, background and role in your company without the hassle of on-set filming. When new hires watch characters who look and act like them, they feel welcome and included from the very first moment.
8. Emotional colour and sound design
Choosing the right palette and audio transforms information into mood.
Warm colours set the tone for teamwork.
Bright accents spark a sense of innovation.
Custom soundtrack with gentle audio cues stirs excitement or calms nerves.
Altogether, these elements immerse new hires in your company’s atmosphere
9. Authenticity and the human touch.
Want to swap graphics for real people – your own employees?
Swapping graphics for real faces immediately humanises your message. When colleagues share candid “behind-the-scenes” moments (over coffee, in meetings or side-by-side on a project) new hires see genuine personalities, not scripted characters.
Video template – Employee Onboarding
10.Seamless training integration.
Onboarding videos naturally evolve into ongoing training content. The same engaging visual style that welcomes new hires can introduce new procedures, software updates, or skill development sessions throughout their journey with your company.
Example? The “beloved” health & safety induction😄 into a short, animated training module. New employees won’t just click through dry bullet points. They’ll watch clear, colourful illustrations demonstrating safe lifting techniques, hazard spotting, and emergency procedures.
Employee onboarding video examples.Greenyard.The animation explains the health and safety rules in the factory to both employees and visitors
Staying on the topic of emotions, check out one of our articles ranked at the top of Google search: Understanding Psychology Animation – Effects on emotions and perception.
Creating effective onboarding content
Successful onboarding video content requires strategic planning rather than spontaneous recording. We’ve put together some valuable tips for you. Use our checklist to create engaging onboarding videos without costly reshoots.
Start by mapping where each video fits within your broader onboarding journey. Welcome videos work best on day one, whilst training videos prove more effective during weeks two and three when new hires feel ready to absorb detailed process information.
Focus each video on a single, clear objective. Rather than cramming multiple topics into one lengthy presentation, create focused modules that address specific needs. Job-specific training videos should cover only relevant tools and processes. Z kolei company culture videos explore values and traditions without technical distractions.
Visual storytelling enhances message retention significantly. Show real employees in action rather than relying on talking heads. Include genuine workplace moments, authentic reactions, and natural interactions that help new team members envision themselves as part of your organisation.
Don’t know how to create onboarding videos? Tap into expert know-how
Alright, enough theory (don’t worry, we’ll get back to it😉). While we’ve been exploring why onboarding videos work so brilliantly, our team at Explain Visually has been eagerly waiting to hear from you about creating animations for your new employees. This article didn’t land on our blog by accident. We wrote it because these kinds of projects genuinely fascinate us, and frankly, we love nothing more than crafting onboarding video content that transforms nervous first days into confident starts.
We specialise in whiteboard animation, digital whiteboard storytelling, sleek vector animation, eye-catching infographics, and bespoke illustrations. Do you need:
- a warm welcome video,
- comprehensive training modules,
- engaging company culture content?
We’ve got the expertise to make it happen.
Want to see what we can do? Check out our portfolio on YouTube and visit our main site. You’ll find everything you need there.
Types of onboarding videos
Company culture videos (video clips)
Forget stiff corporate promos! Capture real moments in your workspace. Film brainstorms over pizza, hallway banter, and impromptu celebrations. At Explain Visually, we often translate these scenes into lively motion-graphic or hand-drawn whiteboard animations.
Training videos
Ditch generic manuals. Produce bite-sized demos that walk each role through exactly what they’ll do on day one (opening the CRM, submitting expense reports, running quality checks). Clear “how-to” steps keep frustration at bay and productivity high. For example we usually craft these as concise animated sequence (whether vector-based or kinetic typograph), so the instructions are impossible to miss.
A series of training videos by the National Tax Information Office. Polish version
Team introduction videos
First impressions matter. Create short, friendly videos where each teammate shares their name, role, and one fun fact. Maybe their secret superpower is making the best latte☕. These personal touches spark conversation and ease those first-day nerves.
Orientation videos
Policies don’t have to be boring. Use relatable examples (like logging into the parking app), to explain benefits, compliance rules, and health & safety procedures. When it feels real, it sticks. That’s why we bring these moments to life in an onboarding video for new employees.
Read also: Video with hand drawn animation | Explain Visually
When to choose whiteboard animation vs. short employee interviews?
Have you ever come across the term “whiteboard animation”? First, take a look at an example of this type of animation.
How is furniture produced? Whiteboard animation for FORTE
Whiteboard animation shines when you need to simplify complex ideas. If you’re explaining processes, step-by-step workflows or abstract concepts (like your company’s mission or core values), a clean whiteboard animation breaks everything down into digestible strokes.
This format keeps learners focused on the essentials without distractions. The hand-drawn style adds a personal, approachable feel that helps new hires absorb information naturally. It’s an ideal backbone for an onboarding video for new employees.
Short employee interviews work best for building rapport and showcasing real personalities. When you want newcomers to connect faces to names, understand team dynamics, or hear authentic stories about day-to-day life, a quick on-camera chat does the trick.
This idea is brilliant!
You can also combine both approaches for maximum impact. Start with a whiteboard sequence to introduce a concept or policy, then cut to a colleague explaining how that policy plays out in real life.
How do you structure a script to grab the viewer’s attention from the very first seconds? Best practices for onboarding
Keep video length short and focused. Videos under three minutes maintain higher engagement rates. The most successful onboarding content lasting between one and five minutes. Remember: simple and effective video is your goal.
So what should you do when you have more to share (company history)?
If you need to cover more ground, create a series of shorter videos rather than one marathon session.
Personalisation dramatically improves effectiveness. Segment your content based on role, department, or experience level rather than creating one-size-fits-all materials. New hires appreciate content that speaks directly to their situation and responsibilities.
Timing matters enormously. Don’t overwhelm people with everything on day one. Strategically plan your video content – we’re confident you’re awesome at strategy☺️!
Welcome videos – immediately.
Company culture content – during the first week.
Detailed training videos – as people settle into their roles.
Gather feedback consistently. Track completion rates, engagement metrics, and direct feedback from recent hires. Use this data to identify which content works well and which needs improvement.
Good vs bad onboarding!
Bad onboarding – The PDF dump
Day one arrives, and your new hire gets a 47-page handbook, three password-protected spreadsheets, and a “welcome” email that reads like a legal document. They spend their first week drowning in text, asking the same questions everyone asks,
Good onboarding – the visual journey
Instead, welcoming them with a 3-minute animated video that walks through your company story, introduces teammates with friendly faces, and shows exactly where to find what they need. They finish watching with a smile, feeling excited.
The Result?
Bad onboarding creates confusion, delays productivity, and leads to early departures. Good and effective onboarding videos (especially with engaging video content): To change that trajectory, anchor the process with an onboarding video for new employees.
build confidence,
speed up integration,
turn nervous newcomers into enthusiastic team members.
The question is: What will you do now with all the knowledge we’ve just shared with you? We’re looking forward to hearing from you. Let’s talk!
Source
[1] The HR and Payroll Platform Yomly50+ Important Employee Onboarding Statistics of 2025
[2] PeopleGoalWhy Great Employee Onboarding Leads to Employee Retention
