Using VR in the Workplace for Training and Collaboration
Around the world, countless companies are discovering the benefits of VR in the workplace. Virtual reality isn’t just a novelty for companies anymore. It’s quickly becoming one of the most effective ways to turbocharge productivity, enhance team performance, and drive innovation.
For enterprises, there are two central areas where virtual reality can have an immediate and incredible impact on teams: training and collaboration. In a hybrid and remote work world, studies have shown that VR can bridge the gaps between employees better than any video conferencing or traditional collaboration tool – enabling rapid knowledge sharing and growth.
The report: What does virtual reality and the metaverse mean for training? from PWC has found training employees with virtual reality leads to four times faster outcomes, improved engagement, and increased knowledge retention.
- Want to learn more about the benefits of bringing virtual reality into your workplace? Discover our complete guide to the impact of VR on workplace productivity here.
Here’s your guide to the benefits of VR in the workplace for immersive learning and team-building.
The Top Benefits of VR in the Workplace
We’re constantly discovering new use cases and opportunities for VR in the workplace. Countless reports and case studies have shown that virtual reality technologies can improve employee engagement and performance, minimize stress, and even enhance customer experiences.
VR in the Workplace for Training and Learning
Let’s start with VR’s impact on corporate training. Countless companies are using VR onboarding solutions and educational tools today. With virtual reality, students can immerse themselves in “experiential” learning experiences that significantly increase knowledge retention, confidence, and skill development.
One report found that students learning with VR in the workplace take around 30 minutes to pick up the skills that would otherwise take up to two hours to master. Companies can embrace virtual reality headsets and applications for:
- Onboarding processes: Companies like Accenture already use VR in onboarding scenarios, allowing new employees to meet with colleagues remotely and even explore digital twins of office environments before they start work. This immersive onboarding experience can accelerate the integration of new team members into any working environment, preparing them to navigate office spaces and align with teams.
- Soft skill training: Studies from PWC show that virtual reality is highly effective for soft skill training. It can help students develop leadership, communication, and teamwork skills through custom role-playing simulations. Some companies, like Walmart, have even used VR to enhance the emotional intelligence of customer-facing teams.
- Occupational training: Immersive VR training platforms allow employees to practice operating machinery, troubleshooting equipment, and even following crucial safety protocols. Companies like Siemens use VR to train engineers on inspection and maintenance-based tasks, reducing learning times by around 66%.
Unlocking Improved Collaboration
Collaboration is critical to success in any industry – but it’s often difficult for teams to share ideas and connect effectively in a remote or hybrid environment. Although video conferencing and meeting tools can help bridge the gaps between teams, using virtual reality for team collaboration takes things to the next level. VR headsets and intuitive apps like Microsoft Teams’ Immersive Spaces allow employees worldwide to share a virtual space and connect in real-time.
Within these virtual spaces, employees can collaborate on product development processes, experimenting with three-dimensional blueprints and designs. They can also interact in a more “humanized” way, expressing themselves not just through their voice and facial expressions but with specific movements and gestures portrayed by avatars.
According to a report from Meta, one of the current market leaders in the VR landscape, 68% of employees according to Meta believe that virtual reality helps them feel more connected with their teams. As VR solutions become more advanced, integrating AI for real-time translation and transcription and more realistic avatars, the benefits of immersive collaboration will continue to grow.
These days, companies can even create virtual versions of office spaces, using digital twin creation tools like Varjo Teleport to create unique environments for specific teams.
Transforming Engagement and Employee Wellbeing
Keeping employees motivated and productive in the modern workplace requires more than just a commitment to enabling collaboration, or leveraging VR tools for workforce development. Engagement among staff members in a range of industries is dropping drastically – using VR in the workplace could be the solution.
Realistic simulations in training experiences, immersive environments for team-building exercises, and more, all help to boost engagement. Using VR for employee engagement can even increase a user’s emotional connection to their colleagues, and the training resources or content they’re consuming.
Beyond that, virtual reality can help improve well-being at work, minimizing the issues of stress and burnout that often lead to poor productivity. Allowing employees to take “breaks” and unwind in VR can significantly reduce workplace stress and anxiety.
With VR, companies can allow individuals to create the environment they need for any specific task. They can create virtual focus spaces for strategic work, or dive into nature-filled environments when they need to take a break from the stress of work.
- If you need help choosing the best virtual reality devices, check out our top tips for choosing the right headsets here.
The Industries Benefitting from VR in the Workplace
Companies from virtually every industry are beginning to discover enterprise VR benefits – particularly when boosting collaboration and training outcomes. However, some industries are adopting this technology faster than most, such as:
- Healthcare: VR is revolutionizing the healthcare industry. In 2021, the FDA approved a prescription-use VR system for chronic pain management, and companies like Altoida are developing VR platforms to help professionals identify neurological diseases faster. There are even intuitive VR solutions designed for training medical professionals and surgeons, like the Osso VR platform, where professionals can safely practice medical procedures.
- Retail: In the retail industry, the metaverse and VR are transforming the way customers shop and connect with sellers. With VR, customers can try products before they buy them on a realistic avatar, or explore the features of a specific product, like a new car or a piece of furniture. Sellers can even give customers product demonstrations in VR.
- Manufacturing: Manufacturing, utilities, and heavy industry companies are massively leveraging virtual reality. For instance, companies like Boeing and Ford use VR to design and test new products in the automotive and aerospace industries. Manufacturing companies also use VR for employee training and to assist technicians with detecting system faults for quicker repairs.
- Technology: In the technology space, virtual reality is a fantastic tool for streamlining product development. It allows teams to explore multiple designs of the same product or experiment with different materials and development processes without unnecessary waste. VR can even help technology companies explain a product’s benefits to buyers or guide them through an intuitive onboarding process.
The ROI of VR in the Workplace for Training and Collaboration
So, if VR in the workplace is so transformative, why hasn’t every company purchased headsets and VR apps? The simple answer is that companies still struggle to justify the initial cost of VR adoption. Investing in VR headsets, software, and applications can be expensive.
The important thing to remember is that the return on investment can be greater than you’d think. For instance, implementing VR for training purposes might seem expensive at first. However, PWC’s study found that virtual training programs are actually up to 52% more cost-effective for large-scale employee development initiatives.
On top of that, using VR in the workplace allows companies to:
- Save money on travel and materials for training and collaborative initiatives.
- Improve and accelerate the product development lifecycle.
- Eliminate waste and the use of excess resources in product development.
- Reduce onboarding times and improve training outcomes.
- Increase employee engagement and retention (minimizing turnover).
Step into the Future with VR in the Workplace
Ultimately, VR in the workplace isn’t just a novel concept anymore—it’s an incredible opportunity for companies to transform how they engage, align, and upskill their teams. As VR technology becomes increasingly advanced and more accessible (with more affordable headsets and apps), worldwide adoption will only continue to grow.
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