How can Virtual Reality be used as a tool for employee training and recruitment?

Virtual reality is a relatively new medium still in its infancy in the training and development industry. However, with the advent of the metaverse, Virtual reality as a tool is gaining traction in the employee training and recruitment process. Let us look at some key benefits of using virtual reality in training.

Virtual Reality as a Tool in Employee Training and Recruitment Processes

Join our webinar on May 10, 2022, Tuesday at 1 pm, to learn more about "how virtual reality can be used as a tool for employee training and recruitment," and how enterprises can leverage this emerging technology.

Here is an overview of our blog:

1. What Are the Benefits of Virtual Reality in Training?

2. Virtual Reality as a Tool in Safety Training

3. Virtual Reality as a Tool in Leadership Training

4. Virtual Reality as a Tool in Induction Training

5. Virtual Reality - an Effective Took for Employee Training and Recruitment

6. Concluding Thoughts

What are the benefits of VR for training?

Virtual reality is a powerful tool for training and simulation, which can be used in a variety of settings. Here are some benefits of using virtual reality in training:

Training can be done anywhere, anytime.
Virtual reality eliminates the need for real-time supervision.
Virtual reality training gives workers immediate feedback.
Virtual reality makes learning engaging and interactive.

Virtual reality in employee training can enhance learning outcomes, increase engagement, and make training more effective. It can also be used as a supplement to other forms of training. Here are some other benefits of using virtual reality for employee training:

Training more people at once: A single virtual reality experience is sufficient to train thousands of people, instead of having an experienced trainer train each person or small group. The cost savings from this could be significant enough to convince your management to adopt virtual reality for mainstream training.
Training in a realistic environment: If you have employees who need to learn how to perform certain tasks in a dangerous environment (for example, emergency response team members), virtual reality is a great way to for employees to practice those tasks without being put in actual harm's way.

In the beginning, virtual reality was predominately used in video games and cinematic experiences. However, as time went on and technology improved, it became clear that VR has practical applications in everyday life.

Here are some ways in which virtual reality can be used as a tool for training purposes.

Virtual Reality as a Tool in Safety Training

Using VR to train employees in areas like safety procedures and soft skills like communication can have a number of benefits. Since with VR, training is done in a virtual environment, there's less risk of anyone getting injured or causing actual damage. And while in the virtual environment, they can get practice at identifying risks and taking appropriate actions to mitigate them or solve other problems, so these skills are honed without endangering anyone else in the process.
Another benefit to virtual reality training is that it makes learning new things fun instead of boring because they're not just reading something out of a textbook. It's also easier to retain information this way than if someone were just listening to someone lecture at them; because your brain retains more when you see and do something rather than just hear about it (or read about it). This means that employees will be up to date on what you need them to know without spending hours reading manuals or taking notes from PowerPoint presentations.
Another benefit of virtual reality is that it allows trainees to practice for situations that would be too dangerous or expensive to recreate otherwise. For example, trainees could participate in simulations of risky military situations at their workplace. They could also receive the same kind of training on how to handle accidents at a chemical plant without having to worry about an actual spill occurring during the training session. Virtual reality technology has been used successfully by companies like Boeing and Airbus who want their pilots to experience flying different types of planes before they begin operating them.

These are just some examples of how virtual reality can help improve your employees' performance by making it possible to work safely without endangering their lives.

Virtual reality as a Tool in Leadership Training

Leadership training is a case in which the notion of VR-based training seems most intuitive. You can imagine a scenario where you are placed, alone or with peers, in a virtual environment, where you have to negotiate complex challenges and make tough decisions. The simulation would draw on knowledge that you would normally gain from books and lectures and force you to apply it on the spot. Additionally, a machine learning algorithm could be used to identify challenges that these simulations pose for some users and find areas of improvement that need more attention before becoming effective leaders.

Virtual reality as a Tool in Soft Skills Training

Soft skills are defined as non-technical, personal attributes which enable people to interact effectively with others. They include critical thinking and problem solving, creativity and innovation, communication, teamwork, leadership, and more. Regardless of the industry or job role you work in (or are looking for), these skills are vital for your professional success. Not only do they help you navigate your environment (both social and workplace-related) but they also allow you to work well with others to help your organization perform well and achieve its goals.

Virtual reality as a Tool in Induction Training

One of the most obvious uses of VR is in the induction training process. This can be used to teach employees how to operate machinery safely, conduct themselves at work, and generally how to do their job. VR allows employees to engage in risky activities as many times as they need without risking harm until they are fully competent in a task.

VR enables new employees to learn while minimizing the risk posed by their lack of experience and knowledge. It also creates a safe environment for employees who have not yet acquired skills but are expected to perform tasks requiring those skills (which is obviously not safe). Using VR over other types of training helps reduce the risk of workplace accidents which can cause injuries, lawsuits, and bad PR for companies.

VR is also cost-effective because it provides easy access to specialized equipment that may otherwise be difficult or expensive for an employer to obtain, which reduces cost barriers for training and recruitment. Furthermore, once a program has been developed there are no recurring costs as it can easily be changed and updated with new information.

Virtual Reality as a Tool in Interviewing Potential Candidates

When you're hiring a new employee, you want to get to know them as best as possible before making an investment in hiring them. You want to know how they will fit in with the culture, what their work ethic is like, and whether they have the skills and knowledge necessary for the job. Unfortunately, it's hard to get a complete picture of someone from just a few rounds of interviews and looking at their resume.

Virtual reality allows your company to create simulated scenarios that not only help you get to know your potential hires better but also save time on training new employees.

VR interview simulations can be created in such a way that it allows candidates to show off their skills and personality. For example, let's say you're hiring for the position of a sales rep for your company - in this case, creating an experience where sales reps are given the opportunity to present mock pitches would be helpful both for candidate selection and employee training purposes.

Virtual reality Can Be Used as an Effective Tool in Employee Training and Recruitment

vr as an effective tool in employee training

Virtual reality has many benefits, including the ability to train employees without the need for costly and time-consuming equipment and transportation.

Companies can use VR to train their employees in any number of ways, including:

in a simulated environment that matches the real workplace
in a controlled environment without the risk of injury or errors
with real-time feedback on performance
by engaging more senses than traditional training methods

Virtual reality can also be used as a tool for teaching soft skills, such as empathy and negotiation.

Concluding Thoughts

In the last couple of years, there has been a significant rise in virtual training. The best part is that it's not just limited to the gaming industry anymore. With a projected growth rate to overtake all other forms of media by 2025 (VR growth rate by 2025), Virtual reality (VR) definitely holds promise when it comes to improving employee training and recruitment.

The biggest advantage of using VR for employee training is that it increases engagement levels amongst learners, which leads to better retention and faster learning. VR can also facilitate cost savings and improved ROI on training programs.

How can your enterprise leverage virtual reality in the emerging metaverse?

Contact XR Guru for a free consultation.

Join Us for Our Next Webinar

Title: The Truth About Virtual Reality: Tool for Employee Training and Recruitment

Embrace Virtual Reality in the Workplace!

If you are exploring different ways to improve employee training, learn how adopting virtual reality can enhance the employee training experience and the cost-effective nature of VR-based training programs. Several organizations have started investing in VR to augment workforce training.

Join our live webinar to learn more about how VR can act as a tool to enhance employee training and recruitment processes.

If you cannot attend, register anyway, and we will send you the recording.

Host: Doug Smith

When and Where:

1 pm, Tuesday, May 10, 2022

25 Minutes

Zoom Link

Goal: To help organizations understand how incorporating VR can augment employee training and illustrate the benefits of a VR-based training approach.

Who Should Join: