Employee video deemed important, but smaller companies lack resources

When executives at Ford Motor Co. want to communicate about quality with employees in meetings, the bosses can’t visit every event at the global automaker.

The solution? Video. Executives record a couple of live events, says Sara Tatchio, Ford’s manager of global integrated communications. Then staffers play the video to groups of employees at other meetings, with in-person answering of questions that arise.

“We try to be efficient with our resources,” Tatchio says. “What we’re trying to do is communicate with employees the way they communicate with each other in their daily lives.”

Ford isn’t alone. Nearly 90 percent rate video as “important” or “somewhat important” in their employee communication program, according to a survey from Ragan Communications and Ignite Technologies, “Engaging Employees with Video.”