Exclusive Interview with Rosie Doke, Director, Human Resources and Finance, eLearning Brothers

''VR-Based Training Will Help Companies Save Money In The Long Run''

 

“Goldman Sachs Research expects virtual and augmented reality to become an $80 billion market by 2025. You are going to be seeing virtual reality training in more and more departments and industries as time goes on. Given the potential benefits for HR, I expect adoption will continue to increase as VR headset and other equipment costs drop further,” says Rosie Doke is the Director of Human Resources and Finance at eLearning Brothers. Rosie brings several years of experience in human resources, business administration, training, and project management. In an interaction with HR.com she touches upon the role of virtual reality and augmented reality in employee training and development, their benefits, challenges, and much more. Excerpts from an interview:

Q: How can virtual reality and augmented reality be applied in training?

Rosie Doke: Virtual reality-enhanced training enables you to create realistic workplace experiences and simulate situations that would be difficult to replicate in online or classroom training. 

Walmart’s virtual reality Black Friday training remains one of the most referenced examples of VR training. Using VR for that situation allows Walmart to prepare employees for a holiday shopping frenzy unlike any other day of the year. Customer service situations represent just one use case for virtual reality training, however. More and more HR leaders are turning to VR for important training topics like diversity and inclusion. 
 

Using virtual reality, you can immerse your employees in someone else’s life experiences and help them understand the feeling of being marginalized, thus building empathy and creating a more inclusive workplace.

Q: What about the cost of adoption of these, virtual reality and augmented reality, technologies?

Rosie Doke: The equipment costs have decreased significantly since virtual and augmented reality training started making a buzz. There are many different types of headsets, including the very affordable Google Cardboard. The upfront cost of developing VR training may seem steeper than traditional eLearning or classroom training, however, you can save a great deal of money in the long run. 

You can virtually create scenarios or situations that would be too expensive or logistically impossible to recreate in live training. 

One misperception of VR training is that the learner must take the training using a VR headset. However, VR training can also be delivered via a web browser through a desktop computer. As such, VR training delivery is less expensive than often perceived. 

Q: What are the uses and benefits of virtual reality and augmented reality in training scenarios?

Rosie Doke: VR creates a really safe space for the employee to take risks, make mistakes, and learn from their actions, without the potential cost, embarrassment, or danger of making those mistakes in the real world. In reality, VR training has been used effectively in many industries for years. We have just called it simulations. Think of the amazing savings (in cost and lives) from training pilots through simulators instead of in real aircraft for much of their initial training. 
 
The same concept applies in many industries where training in virtual situations reduces injuries and negative impacts. But the same can be said for positive outcomes that build a person’s confidence in various situations after having practiced in virtual settings.  

Q: What are its potential hazards and obstacles in these technologies’ adoption?

Rosie Doke: Most timely, right now, are probably the health concerns around employees sharing headsets. You could get around that by having enough headsets for each person, or implementing strict sanitization or extending the time period between training sessions. You may also be able to get around this issue by delivering the VR training through a web browser. 

There is a learning curve to developing immersive training, but with the right software and staff, you can easily master creating engaging virtual reality training. 

Q: How do virtual reality and augmented reality improve hiring and candidate experience?

Rosie Doke: As mentioned earlier, many companies are using virtual diversity and inclusion training to great impact. This can benefit the hiring process because it makes hiring managers more aware of their own unconscious biases and how that could be affecting their hiring choices. 

Several years ago, luxury car brand Jaguar Land Rover released a free augmented reality app that potential job candidates could use to learn about the nuances of electric vehicles and play engaging but demanding code-breaking puzzles. Candidates who performed exceptionally at the code-breaking games were fast-tracked through the recruiting process. This allowed the company to test for the specific skills they needed, rather than just looking at qualifications on paper.

Virtual reality is also a great way for companies to “show, not tell” their company culture. A potential candidate could virtually sit in on an immersive video of a board meeting, a company picnic, and daily foosball game, etc.   

Q: How do virtual reality and augmented reality increase retention and productivity?

Rosie Doke: Learning by doing is consistently proven to have the highest retention rates. Actually physically going through the motions of a task forms a stronger mental imprint. Employees also enjoy VR training more than just sitting at their desk and clicking through a course. Employees in Walmart’s VR training program reported 30 percent higher training satisfaction, compared to other training materials and methods. And 70 percent of employees who trained in VR outperformed groups trained with other materials and techniques.

Investing in the quality of training shows employees how much you value them. This in turn fosters employee loyalty that improves retention. 

Q: How is the adoption scenario of these technologies in HR?

Rosie Doke: Goldman Sachs Research expects virtual and augmented reality to become an $80 billion market by 2025. You are going to be seeing virtual reality training in more and more departments and industries as time goes on. Given the potential benefits for HR, I expect adoption will continue to increase as VR headset and other equipment costs drop further.

Q: What are the future trends in AR and VR?

Rosie Doke: Corporate use of virtual reality is forecast to outpace leisure use by 2021. You can expect to see more and more blends of immersive learning technologies like AR and VR combined with more traditional assessments and mentorship. As technology improves, look for more social learning uses, with multiple employees interacting together in the virtual world in real-time. 
 

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