Our employee handbook isn’t a handbook at all.
It’s a video library I created by simply turning on my screen recorder while I’m working and narrating exactly what I’m doing.
None of my videos would win an Emmy, but they are all labeled and in a folder where my staff can access them any time they need to know how to do something.
The first time someone asks how to do something, I send a link to them with the screen recording. What’s neat is that I often see additional views on the video months later when they need a refresher.
Of course, I encourage staff to ask questions, but people will do anything not to look like they don’t know something. So, having videos they can go back to later is a real boon for productivity.
They can watch a video at 1.5x speed or rewind it to review something they missed.
The best part is that it takes me almost no time – I’m working anyway, and turning the screen recorder on while I work only adds a few seconds.
Here’s exactly how I make the videos:
When I need to delegate a task, I turn on my screen recorder and narrate my actions.
I don’t worry about stumbling over my words because people are forgiving, and a few “um”s here and there might even help them feel more comfortable.
When I find myself stuck in the middle of a video, I start explaining my thought process on how to get unstuck. For instance, I might say something like, “Shoot, I can’t recall how to make this paragraph bold. Let me look up the instructions on Google.” Then, I search for the instructions while still recording the video. This demonstrates exactly what someone should do if they ever get stuck on something.
I use Loom.com to record the videos.
Loom is a cinch to use and has a free plan you can use when you start.
Here’s exactly how I record a screen recording:
- Click on the Loom app
- Push “record”
- Push “stop,” and instantly a link for your video is added to your clipboard (in case you want to email it)
- I then label the video and move it to a folder labeled “Training videos.”
On the paid plans ($12.50/month), Loom even transcribes the video for you so your staff can read the instructions.
And if your video needs editing (I hardly ever edit mine because I am not worried about it being perfect), you can go to the transcription and delete the words you want to remove. That part of the video is instantly cut.
Easier and more useful than a written company handbook.
This is my first post in my series on training employees. If you enjoyed it, share it with a co-worker.
Paige’s Page readers receive a free copy of my book: Drift: How to (accidentally) create a life you don’t want. Access it here with the passcode friend.
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