Employers should use the growing appetite for ‘video snacking’ - using phones and PCs for quick online media fixes – to train staff, according to a survey.

In a survey of over 100 HR and training professionals by Video Arts, a training production company, 90% of respondents said they spent a portion of their day video snacking, either during their lunch hour or on the daily commute, with over half admitting they do it at work, some up to 30 minutes a day.

The most frequently used content includes news or business sites or social networking sites such as Facebook and YouTube. Yet despite the high levels of online activity amongst their staff, just under half of employers (48%) don’t use any online tools to communicate with employees.

Martin Addison, managing director at Video Arts, said: "It seems that HR and training managers are missing a trick when it comes to capitalising on the rise of video snacking. The format offers the perfect way to deliver a short training clip that can reinforce a key business message to an employee when and where it is needed. It is also ideal for those looking for something more than passive lunchtime viewing."

However, the research also indicated that three-quarters of respondents would consider giving staff access to a digital library of short training clips to aid employees in meeting their learning needs such as developing sales skills, leadership skills and attitude and motivational training.

Half of those questioned indicated that they would prefer to set up a training programme in-house as opposed to using a consultant (23%) or an outside resource (30%), and agreed that using an instantly accessible library of clips would provide the most cost-effective and efficient method.