Co-Founder and COO at VR Vision Inc an immersive technology group that is developing virtual and augmented reality solutions for the future.
Once thought to be relegated to the realm of video games, virtual reality is proving its utility in a slew of everyday functions, including human resources. As the cofounder and CEO of a VR company, I’ve seen that the technology is increasingly being used in employee training and retraining, ensuring people have the skills they need to thrive at work.
If you’re a business owner or manager, you may be considering harnessing the power of VR to keep your employees’ skills sharp. Discover the ways you can use VR to upskill and reskill your teams below, as well as how to do this effectively.
Using VR To Upskill And Reskill Employees
The future of learning is virtual. The Covid-19 pandemic made this abundantly clear as both professionals and students of all ages shifted their work and studies online. You can leverage virtual classrooms to brush up employees’ existing skills and give them brand new skills in the following areas.
1. Complex/Risky Tasks
Modern VR technology is lifelike, so it allows for effective practical training of many complex skills. VR headsets create an audio-visual experience and can be paired with physical sensors and tools to create a whole-body training experience. This approach can be beneficial for potentially risky training. For example, race car drivers have used VR to hone skills in a safe space without worrying about the hazards of driving on a track (crashes, fires, injuries).
2. Emergencies
On the point of safety, VR can be a tool to practice for emergencies. Depending on your company’s industry, employees may need to prepare for everything from fires to robberies. It’s one thing to read about an emergency and what you should do when it happens, it’s another thing to experience that situation firsthand.
3. Everday Interactions
VR can help teach soft skills. For example, it can be used to practice challenging interactions with others such as dealing with a demanding customer or providing a tricky performance review. Soft skills like communication are increasingly necessary for all fields. Additionally, some employees take longer than others to get the hang of soft skills, so staff can practice this on virtual customers instead of real ones.
Best Practices With VR Training
• Improve Memory Retention Via Repetition
Numerous studies have shown that memory improves with repetition. The so-called “spacing effect” refers to repetition-style learning conducted at spaced-out intervals. This gives the brain the chance to process and retain new knowledge. When training or retraining workers with VR, you may want to use repetition to ensure improved outcomes.
• Allow For More Inclusive Training
The workforce is becoming increasingly global. Companies are viewing remote applicants more favorably (another trend accelerated by Covid-19). To become more inclusive, keep in mind that VR can help train employees in another city, state or even country. A streamlined training module (or series of modules) can allow employers to have a standardized onboarding process. Remote workers and teams around the world can be trained by SMEs (subject matter experts) without the high costs typically associated with authority training.
• Gamify Training
Turning training into a game is a great way to keep teams motivated. There are many ways to gamify VR training, such as adopting a points system. You can even have your own in-house video-game-style training program created with avatars for different workers.
• Enhance Training Feedback
Practical training requires feedback. Individuals need to understand what they’ve done right and wrong to improve. Since most VR sessions can be monitored in real-time and recorded later for viewing, be sure to make use of this and provide consistent, objective and detailed feedback. Further, in some situations, you might consider having employees watch themselves in action and directly see what they could do differently for better results.
• Promote Individual Accountability
If you have a learning space set up, you can have people sign up when they want to use it to train or retrain. They can then independently get their training hours done. This approach to learning also puts the onus on workers to lead their improvement. For example, you might give employees a set number of training hours to complete each month and leave them to it. Empowering workers in this way can help motivate them.
• Up The Fun Factor
Everybody has had to sit through a boring training video or read through a massive employee handbook when starting a job. It’s not the most exciting or engaging way to introduce employees to their new tasks. When using VR, up the fun factor to create engaged, committed and excited teams. This is just as relevant when it comes to reskilling and upskilling employees. You don’t want workers to feel bored. This can result in them seeking new opportunities elsewhere, leaving you with retention issues. So, maintain engagement with your VR training.
A Final Word
The average U.S. company spends approximately $1,111 on training per employee per year. That can add up to huge sums depending on the number of employees you have. VR can help you cut costs and reduce overall overhead expenses to reduce your bottom line. Keep in mind that while an initial investment into VR technology is necessary, it’s a long-term investment and the tech can be used repeatedly.
And as more and more companies invest in VR, they add to a market that’s already booming. Through 2024, $125 billion growth is expected in the AR/VR field. In line with this expansion, the opportunities for using VR to train and retrain employees are likely to expand as well.
Business owners and managers that are getting ahead of the game and implementing these cutting-edge technologies now should consider the above best practices. By doing so, you can be more prepared to integrate future innovations in the tech when they arrive.
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