Recent research published by ORC International found that the results in the UK were the lowest of twenty countries surveyed, with only Hong Kong and Japan fairing worse in the findings. A crucial element of any successful employee engagement programme is effective communications, both in terms of allowing management to communicate with the wider workforce, but also in facilitating the employee voice – giving individuals the chance to demonstrate their skills, ideas and opinions. An employee that is empowered with a ‘voice’ is more likely to engage with those around them and their organisation. A tool that a number of companies are turning to in order to engage their employees is enterprise video, which can be used both for live communications and for delivery of ‘on-demand’ content. Outlined below are ten ways that enterprise video can be used to achieve employee engagement:

Demand from the ‘next-generation worker’: Employees are used to interacting with video in their daily lives, through services such as YouTube, Skype or Facetime. This has led to a natural demand for enterprise video tools in the workplace, where modern employees are demanding modern technologies through which to communicate and collaborate.

Video is social: As with video, social media is also being demanded by today’s workforce. Video is a social medium, allowing users to share, comment and engage, even creating their own videos in response to those they have watched.

Collaboration: With many employees working remotely or in different offices, collaboration between teams and colleagues is often no simple task. Video encourages collaboration by allowing employees to communicate live or through on-demand content, bringing people together.

Visibility to senior management: In larger organisations, employees have no or little visibility to senior management. Video allows management to be seen and heard by the workforce, meaning employees are engaged with and being communicated to by those leading their organisation.

Timely communications: During times of crisis or uncertainty, communication must be delivered quickly and effectively, before rumour spreads and employees become de-motivated. When time is of the essence, video communications cuts through the noise to deliver strong communications when it is required the most.

Flexible access: Communicating to employees who work remotely, at different times, or in very different roles has always been a challenge, but communications via video is an effective solution. Live events can be accessed in any locations with an internet connection, and on-demand content can be access at a time that is convenient to each individual.

Empower management: Video empowers senior management to engage with employees, communicating company strategy, direction and culture. Senior figures can regularly communicate – in a personal way – in order to motivate and inspire the workforce.

Mobility: Video is a truly mobile form of communication, with both live video and on-demand content accessible by employees through mobile devices from anywhere at any time. Mobile technology also builds the employee voice, as modern smartphones are equipped to create video content. This enables employees to easily create and share their own video content.

Training by video: Employees feel engaged when they are invested in and their skills are developed, but providing training to staff is often costly and ineffective. Video-on-demand allows organisations to deliver engaging and dynamic training content that is accessible by individual employees at the relevant time.

Measurability: The ability to measure impact is a key component of any employee engagement programme. Video is a measurable communication channel, with Human Resources teams able to track metrics such as views, clicks, and comments, as well as more in-depth access such as which individual devices or work stations have accessed a particular video. This data gives essential information as to whether employees are truly engaged.

In conclusion, video offers a number of advantages when it comes to achieving employee engagement – an essential target for all organisations. An engaged employee is more motivated, more productive and will contribute to success. Empowering both management and employees with an effective communication channel will deliver huge rewards for those organisations that do so.

For more information go to: http://www.kpmg.com/UK/en/services/Tax/EmployeeIssues/Pages/default.aspx