How Workplace Training Has Shifted (And Why)

AR/VR helps L&D professionals prove ROI

Learning and development (L&D) have been transformed over the past two years. The days of strictly training employees with in-person training sessions are in the past, and remote training has become evermore important as budgets for L&D programs are tighter than ever. 
 
While training employees remains essential, organization executives are looking at how to measure return on investment (ROI) for L&D. Traditional training doesn’t always provide hard data about its effectiveness and show the tangible benefits the organization is receiving from the training. That’s why the interest in augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) programs has skyrocketed over the past two years.

As technology has evolved, however, new modalities have emerged that give L&D professionals the ability to measure and track a program’s effectiveness more closely than ever before. Making the shift to these newer technologies will allow L&D programs to prove their worth and highlight their extensive contributions to the organization’s bottom line. 

How Training Has Shifted (And Why)

Before the Covid pandemic struck, much of the training done by organizations was in-person. Employees would gather in a classroom and be taught by an in-person instructor, using in-person role-playing to teach hard and soft skills. In-person training also allowed for immediate feedback from colleagues and instructors. The pandemic, however, forced more workers than ever before into remote working situations. Strict health guidelines kept people from gathering in one place, making in-person training less possible. 
 
As remote work became more popular, with fewer offices returning to work full time, training in person has become even more of a challenge. Alternative training options were necessary because training still needed to continue even without the in-person component. AR/VR modalities, when built with partners who understand the business, can deliver training in ways that are more flexible and fit into the lives of employees more effectively.
 
AR/VR training allows employees to complete their training from wherever they are, improves the consistency of the training and allows them to take risks in a safe, immersive environment. This allows them to make mistakes without real-world consequences and learn the proper way to handle situations accordingly.
 
Furthermore, AR/VR training has evolved to the point that it can be done using the employee’s own mobile phone using cardboard headsets that cost a fraction of the more traditional AR/VR headsets. When employees can train from the comfort of their own homes using technology they are familiar with, it can increase participation and improve retention over more traditional in-person learning.
 
Beyond the effectiveness of the training, AR/VR training provides more detailed feedback, which can be used to shift the training as necessary to provide individualized training to specific employees. More importantly, it can provide hard data that can be used to prove the ROI to company executives who have to decide whether to invest in the training or not. 

How AR/VR Helps L&D Professionals Prove ROI   

Unlike traditional training feedback, which is often subjective, AR/VR training provides hard data that can be measured against past performance to determine effectiveness. For example, if the training is technical in nature, executives should expect to see a reduction in errors in the task performed. This will allow executives to decide whether the investment in AR/VR equipment, which can be extensive at first, is worth it.
 
In more complex training, like diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) or leadership training, the ability to measure success becomes even more important. Organizations are turning to AR/VR training for these soft skills and others to allow insights into the effectiveness of such training. Using benchmarks against industry standards provide organizations with the ability to understand how they compare to their peers in the industry and how they can improve in granular detail which is not possible with traditional training modalities.
 
As more of these AR/VR programs are implemented across various types of training, the ROI becomes even more apparent. Once the equipment is in-house, updating the training is much easier, and it can shift quickly to keep up with changing training needs as they develop. In other words, the ROI increases the more an AR/VR system is used. 

The Bottom Line

As training has shifted over the past two years, the ability for L&D professionals to prove the ROI of their programs has become easier. The use of AR/VR equipment offers them the ability to measure success at a granular level and transmit that information to organizational executives. Finding the right partner who can provide the support and expertise in AR/VR training development is crucial to your success. 

Scott Stachiw is Director of Immersive Learning at Roundtable Learning, a Chagrin Falls, Ohio-based immersive training organization. Connect Scott Stachiw