Flawed characters, dramatic cliffhangers and binge-watching fans worldwide. How Microsoft’s Trust Code has reset the bar for corporate training videos

Move over Succession and Severance, there’s another binge-worthy workplace drama in town. And believe it or not, it comes in the form of a Microsoft workplace compliance training video series ― and it’s proven to be a massive hit.

“Trust Code, with its recurring characters and end-of-season cliffhangers, is redefining the genre,” said Dylan Tokar in the Wall Street Journal, writing about the superfans of the training module.

“Since launching in 2017, it has inspired watch parties, viral memes and t-shirts with [the lead actor’s] image. Trust Code, slated to run for only two or three years, is now headed into season seven. New employees aren’t required to watch older seasons, but the buzz about the show has spawned group binge-watching to catch up on early episodes.”

The show was created by Rachelle Tanner, an executive producer with Microsoft, who brought the idea to Microsoft.

“When I came to Microsoft, I was asked to reimagine our compliance learning programs, including our annual Standards of Business Conduct course,” she wrote on the Microsoft Life blog. “That’s when a crazy idea hit me. Could we make the course into a binge-worthy saga that would focus on getting employees hooked on the show and invested in the characters?”

The gambit worked. The show is loved within the Microsoft workforce and beyond, and other companies, like Facebook, have started experimenting with their own high-production value training videos, hoping to ape the success of Trust Code.

Interestingly, the success of Trust Code seems to buck where the $360-billion corporate training industry has been headed in recent years. Standard advice for employers has trended towards training modules that offer employees flexibility, hands-on learning and real-world experiences.

Those approaches may have lots to recommend them, but it doesn’t beat a great yarn. As Microsoft’s vice-chair and president Brad Smith puts it: “People love stories.”

Content written by Kieran Delamont for Worklife, a partnership between Ahria Consulting and London Inc. To view this content in newsletter form, click here.