The Evolving Impact of VR on Workplace Productivity
Welcome to the new era of VR workplace productivity. Only a few years ago, virtual reality headsets and extended reality technologies were little more than novelties. Now, immersive solutions are transforming every industry.
Enterprises use VR systems to revolutionize learning, collaboration, and employee engagement. Manufacturers use VR to streamline and enhance product development. We’re discovering new ways to leverage VR for customer engagement, sales, and marketing.
So, how exactly does VR upgrade team productivity and enterprise performance? Here’s everything you need to know about VR workplace productivity.
- Ready to discover the productivity benefits of VR headsets for yourself? Check out our headset reviews, or read our guide on choosing the right VR headset for your team.
VR Workplace Productivity: How VR Boosts Team Performance
Productivity is the lifeblood of any organization, but it’s often difficult to maintain and nurture – particularly in today’s complex workplace. In 2023, McKinsey released a report showing around 50% of workers feel their productivity has dropped in recent years.
Disengagement is everywhere. Teams feel overwhelmed and unmotivated, and employees struggle to stay connected and creative in the world of hybrid and remote work.
Fortunately, VR’s impact on workplace productivity is astounding. Virtual reality gives employees a way to share more meaningful interactions, dive deeper into their work, and stay focused—even in a distracting setting. Here’s how VR transforms workplace productivity.
1. Improving Focus and Eliminating Distractions
In busy offices, where employees are often inundated with various distractions, from online notifications to noisy colleagues, VR offers a unique way to block out external chaos. Studies have shown that virtual reality can help to foster concentration and focus – particularly in open office settings – allowing users to immerse themselves in tasks more effectively.
Combined with the right accessories, such as noise-cancelling headsets with spatial sound capabilities and haptic feedback controls, VR headsets can essentially transport employees into a world of their own. As organizations like Varjo create more intuitive solutions for building “digital twins” of specific spaces, the opportunities companies have to create dedicated virtual environments for specific employees are growing too.
2. Transforming Onboarding and Training
Employees are always more productive when they’ve been given effective training and onboarding experiences. Companies using VR for workplace productivity can use immersive headsets and software to streamline and enhance skill development.
VR can allow new employees to explore a workplace and practice tasks before they visit a location in person – ensuring quicker integration into the work environment. Studies have also shown that VR learners develop skills faster, retain more information, and are more engaged in learning experiences. That’s one of the reasons countless companies, from UPS to KFC and Siemens, use VR to train new hires and enable ongoing upskilling and reskilling strategies.
3. Enhancing Communication and Collaboration
Many organizations today struggle to build collaborative, engaged, and aligned teams in a time of remote and hybrid work. Two-dimensional video calling and conferencing tools can help to a degree – but regular meetings on these platforms have also been linked to burnout and disengagement.
With VR, workplace productivity and collaboration gets an instant boost. Virtual reality headsets, and tools like Microsoft’s Immersive Spaces app for Teams, Glue, or Remio give companies a 3D space where employees can hold meetings, host team-building activities, manage product demos and more.
Unlike video calls, these immersive collaboration tools allow employees to connect naturally, capturing the nonverbal cues shown by avatars in a virtual space. Studies from VR leaders like Meta have even found that 68% of employees feel VR gives them a greater sense of “connection” with colleagues.
4. Boosting Creativity and Innovation
One of the biggest ways VR affects workplace productivity, is by enabling improved creativity, and faster innovation among teams. In virtual environments, product designers and developers can experiment with different product design strategies, and test product performance in a flexible space without wasting resources.
VR technologies can even help with the prototyping stage of building new products, eliminating the need for expensive physical models and molds. That saves companies a lot of money while giving teams more freedom to get creative with their ideas. Plus, with data visualization tools, teams can explore critical information in a new way, leading to faster decision-making and ideation.
5. Maintaining Employee Wellbeing
Few things are more detrimental to employee productivity than poor well-being. Stress and overwhelm in a chaotic business environment can drain creativity and motivation. With workplace VR solutions, productivity can be improved through the use of unique stress reduction and well-being programs.
VR gives business leaders a way to create immersive experiences for employees that can help them relax, unwind, and handle difficult tasks more effectively. For instance, one study from the UK’s NHS found that a short session in a VR “nature” environment was enough to significantly reduce anxiety among employees, and improve feelings of happiness and productivity.
- Deciding whether to use VR in your teams for training or collaboration? Check out this article to learn more about the benefits of implementing VR into your workplace.
VR Workplace Productivity: Real-World Examples
So, what does VR’s impact on workplace productivity look like in action? Countless organizations are beginning to demonstrate just how effective virtual reality can be, particularly when it comes to enhancing collaboration and workplace performance.
The use cases cover virtually every industry. Archaeologists at the University of Hong Kong are using mixed and virtual reality technology to transform archaeological studies. Other great examples of companies taking advantage of VR to enhance daily operations include:
Accenture: Revolutionizing Team Building
Accenture was one of the earliest major companies to embrace the concept of the metaverse and begin using virtual reality systems for onboarding, training, and team collaboration. During the pandemic, the company created its own digital hiring campus and a virtual space called the “Nth floor” where employees could meet and share ideas.
Trello, owned by Accenture, even uses Meta headsets and collaboration platforms (like Frame) to boost connections between remote employees located thousands of miles apart. According to the company, the initiative had an amazing impact on its “team-building” strategies.
Siemens: Training Technicians
One of Europe’s largest industrial manufacturers, Siemens, is also an early adopter of VR workplace productivity solutions. Since 2016, the company has created a range of VR training simulations, designed to help technicians develop skills for inspections and maintenance tasks. Siemens says its VR training programs don’t just help it to save time and money on employee development – they also reduce the risks associated with training teams on physical machines.
Compared to on-site training sessions, Siemens says its VR development programs have reduced training times by 66% and improved pass rates for final assessments by 13%. Today, Siemens says that it considers virtual reality to be a critical part of an integrated and holistic development strategy.
Hyundai: Upgrading Product Design Processes
In recent years, major automotive company Hyundai has invested in numerous cutting-edge technology solutions to upgrade its design processes. Today, the company relies heavily on virtual reality headsets and 3D gravity sketching to streamline and optimize product design. According to the company, using VR for workplace productivity is a game changer.
Hyundai’s VR product development processes allow designers to develop new models and test transformative features faster and more efficiently. Virtual reality is also helping Hyundai to reduce its carbon footprint by eliminating unnecessary waste and reducing transportation costs. The results of the company’s initiatives have been so significant, that they’ve even developed their own dedicated “Vision Lab” using immersive technologies for product development.
Bank of America: Improving Workplace Wellness
The Bank of America, one of the world’s biggest financial institutions, has been experimenting with VR workplace productivity solutions and the metaverse for a while now. In 2020, the company began introducing virtual reality technology into workplace training programs, replicating classrooms in a metaverse where teams and new employees can build new skills and connections.
Outside of training, the Bank of America is also using virtual reality to improve employee wellness. They regularly encourage their team members to take a break from busy work days by relaxing in a serene VR environment, or exploring a guided meditation session. The company says these initiatives have improved employee confidence, productivity, performance, and satisfaction.
UPS: Virtual Driver Training
In the past, UPS used to train new drivers by asking them to shadow experienced colleagues on their routes. Although this initiative was reasonably successful – it did have limitations. The process was time-consuming, and it wasn’t easy to prepare new drivers for all of the potential scenarios they might encounter on the road. Fortunately, VR offered a solution.
With virtual reality simulations, new employees can now explore a wide range of different scenarios in a virtual environment, and prepare themselves for the complexities of life behind the wheel. According to UPS, the VR initiative has reduced training times by around 75%, without having any negative impact on the effectiveness or results of training sessions.
- Discover how businesses are leveraging virtual reality to revolutionize operations—explore 5 Ways to Use VR Headsets in the Workplace to unlock innovative solutions for your team.
VR Workplace Productivity: Challenges and Solutions
The impact of VR on workplace productivity is incredible – but adopting any new technology can be complex for today’s business leaders and teams. Fortunately, there are ways to overcome some of the most significant hurdles faced by enterprises today.
Challenge 1: Hardware, Budget and Space Requirements
Investing in VR-driven office solutions, workplace productivity apps, hardware, and even environments where employees can comfortably explore virtual settings can be expensive and complex. The important thing to remember is that when implemented correctly, virtual reality can have a fantastic ROI. For instance, research from PwC found that VR training generally achieves “cost parity” with classroom-style training in many cases. Plus, it can even be up to 52% more cost-effective for large-scale programs.
The key to addressing the costs and complexities of initial implementation is proper planning. Many leading vendors in the virtual reality world can provide step-by-step guidance on how to create spaces for VR immersion, leverage high-quality applications, and minimize long-term costs. Plus, there are innovative solutions that can reduce initial expenses too.
For instance, with Meta’s “Quest for Business collaboration tools” companies can easily manage headsets, share them between employees, and reduce the expenses associated with updating and managing devices separately. In general, headsets and devices are also becoming more affordable, with options like the Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S supporting budget-conscious brands.
Challenge 2: Driving Adoption and Integration
Many employees across industries are embracing the benefits of VR for remote teamwork, as well as VR tools, and devices. However, there are still some team members who might be reluctant to accept change and leverage new technologies as they emerge. The easiest way to address this issue is to create strategic implementation plans for your team members.
Choose hardware and software solutions that are user-friendly, comfortable, and convenient for your team members. Make sure the software they’re using feels familiar and intuitive. For instance, if your employees already use Microsoft Teams for collaboration, they may find using a solution like Teams Immersive Spaces easier than learning how to use an entirely new app.
Find champions who feel comfortable with virtual collaboration technology and ask them to participate in training and onboarding new staff members. Additionally, pay attention to your employees’ feedback. Find out what they like and dislike about VR experiences, and use those insights to guide future decisions about the types of hardware, software, and solutions you implement.
Challenge 3: Managing VR Fatigue
Virtual reality sickness and “VR fatigue” are common problems among organizations embracing VR workplace productivity solutions. Although vendors are working on addressing these issues by improving visual fidelity in headsets, reducing latency, and boosting comfort factors, there are still some people who can struggle with long-term VR usage.
Overcoming these problems starts with choosing the right headsets and applications, focusing on the overall user experience. Make sure users can customize their VR experience based on their specific needs, and access high-quality visuals, audio, and natural spatial computing experiences.
Additionally, encourage team members to use VR responsibly. Remind them to take breaks regularly during long immersive sessions. Tell them when they should be conducting virtual meetings with VR headsets, or using VR for product development, and when they can consider other tools.
- What’s next for the future of VR in the workplace? Read our latest blog on what you can expect in the years ahead.
Optimizing VR Workplace Productivity: The Future of Work
Virtual reality, and various other forms of extended reality solutions will only continue to revolutionize the workplace in the years ahead.
As headsets become more powerful, accessible, and intuitive, businesses from all industries will continue to embrace VR workplace productivity solutions. The key to success is choosing the right strategy for the future of VR in the workplace. Identify your specific use cases, evaluate headset options carefully, with a focus on user experience, and make sure you can easily integrate your technology into existing workflows.
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