‘FIS Cares’ video challenges employees to help their colleagues in times of need

Financial services technology company FIS is home to a program little seen elsewhere—a fund to which employees contribute for colleagues in times of great need. For producing a video that informs its workforce about the “FIS Cares” fund—and the need for it—FIS has won first place in the “Video/Informational or Educational” category of Ragan’s 2015 Employee Communication Awards.

The video focuses on two employees who lost their homes when tornadoes struck. Archival footage is interspersed with black-and-white interviews with the two employees recounting the experience of living through the natural disaster. The video wraps up with the employees recounting the help FIS provided, both physical labor from colleagues to help clean up and the money deposited in their accounts from the “FIS Cares” fund. 

The goal was clear: Encourage other employees to contribute between $1 and $5 per paycheck to the fund, pointing out that you never know when you may be the employee who faces the need to pay for unexpected expenses. 

The video wasn’t just posted on the intranet. Employees received emails pointing them to the video. It was also promoted with graphic assets on the intranet. Stickers were distributed to fund participants they could display in their offices. 

As a result of these efforts, program contributions soared nearly 120 percent. The video itself, though produced using low-budget techniques, makes effective use of dramatic music and innovative text overlays. 

For producing a video that delivered precisely what it was designed for, congratulations are due to Kerry Schicker, Angel Starr, and Brian Kriderman.