Can VR Transform Your Workplace?

 

The latest tech buzzword is the metaverse – a world accessed via virtual reality (VR) where users can interact with each other just like they do in the real world, but from the comfort of their homes. Using apps like 3D data visualisation and manipulation, employee training, sales gamification, and virtual meetings and conferences, the metaverse is trying to implement a whole new workplace for the future and the building blocks have already been set in place. Accenture Operations states augmented workplaces are coming soon as VR is integrated into enterprises, this will allow employees to make better operational decisions and engage in more immersive technical training.

Employees can be thrown into any real-life situation without facing any of the risks. Colleagues can be effectively trained in sales presentations, seminars, interactive team training, product and service demonstrations, and problem-solving sessions amongst other activities. While some of these experiences are best demonstrated in real-life, VR aims to be the second-best alternative when real-life isn’t an option.

However, there are some barriers to entry including the associated costs of the VR technology, the limited software currently available, low network connectivity, and the bulky headsets people require to access the metaverse. These issues will slowly be solved though, as 5G promises to deal with limited network connectivity, and headsets will become smaller and wireless which will make them much more convenient to use in the future. As the technology evolves, the visual quality of VR will become more realistic and refined which will allow for more lifelike experiences too.

One of the biggest challenges is realising VR’s full potential and how it can be used effectively in an enterprise setting. Similar to how cloud technology wasn’t fully utilised or understood until just a few years ago, innovative technologies (including social media, artificial intelligence, and automation) take time to find their place in a corporation or department.

If your organisation wants to start trialling the metaverse, Meta has released its ‘Horizon Workrooms’ which allows users to work remotely using their Oculus Quest 2 headset. Over the coming years, it’s expected that a growing number of enterprises will begin to explore the benefits of VR workplaces, especially those organisations run by younger executives more open to innovative ideas.