It’s been a while since we last updated you on the evolution of immersive technologies in HR/People Ops. And for that reason, we’ve compiled a few new trends that could impact the work of any HR professional and the work with employees in general in 2023. We won’t talk just about VR/AR but also about other technologies like AI, Robotization, and Metaverse that are changing not just our communication, for example, towards candidates. Let’s take a look at the technologies that are driving the HR/People Ops world!
Artificial Intelligence Support
Artificial Intelligence is a technology that can be used in many departments, including HR, and its potential is expected to multiply in the following years. AI can significantly help with most repetitive and administrative tasks. One example can be administrative and legal support via asking questions to AI chatbots that can find the answer fast and effectively.
In recruitment, AI can replace the first phase of screening when emailing candidates, collecting information about their skills and education, and evaluating if the profile meets the requirements stated in the description. On top of it, AI can create databases of suitable candidates and arrange interviews. AI can also help improve employee engagement, thanks to sophisticated data collection from employees of your company.
See you in Metaverse
We mentioned how much Metaverse would shape our field in our previous blogs and social media posts. The same applies to HR/People Ops. According to Gartner, Inc., 25% of people will spend at least one hour a day in the Metaverse by 2026. Not only shopping and entertainment but also working there, organising employee onboarding, virtual events and meetings with your company/team or interacting with remote applicants, communities, students and universities, there are so many options. Companies are moving there because you are creating a new modern interactive way to connect with people.
Curious how to implement VR and AR in your business? Click here.
Gamification to engage a bit more
One of the biggest HR trends of 2023 is gamification, which means using game-like elements in non-game contexts. We can use it differently, for example, to encourage employees to achieve their goals, to engage employees in learning new skills, or to be active in sourcing new talents for your company. There are many ways to gamify HR processes, but first of all, we need to ensure the games you create are fun, challenging, and motivating for the team. AR gamification could be the way to make our employees more engaged.
Robotization and cobots will be our friends
The growth of the investment in robotization is expected to double by 2030. Investment in robotization will replace people in some industries, mainly in manufacturing, logistics, automotive and medical sectors. There is also an expected trend of cobots (robots working alongside humans) that will augment human mobility, especially in warehouses, to prevent people from dangerous and heavy jobs. The growth of cobots is expected to grow by 30% in the year 2023. Beyond that, we can also expect the development of knowledge of robots.
The use of VR for soft skills training
Artificial Intelligence and robotization will rapidly grow in the following years, leading us to keep developing soft skills that can not be replaced by technological capital. But also, the VR environment is a safe place to practice soft skills thanks to the simulation. Research by PwC shows that VR learners were 4 times faster to train than classroom learners and almost 3 times more confident to apply skills after learning. On top of that, VR training nowadays is quite affordable and can be more cost-effective thanks to its repeatability and reusability.
VR headsets can immerse themselves in a simulated environment where they act out and train in challenging situations. This is another great example of how the learning and development of your employees and teams can be pushed to another level. Let’s look at a couple of situations!
1. Public Speaking
Virtual reality allows us to train in public speaking in an authentic real-life environment. When putting on a VR headset, you will appear in front of an audience of any size which is listening and reacting to you as a usual audience, and you can train your prepared speech. You will also receive instant feedback on your performance and see statistics of your speech, for example, how often you made eye contact, which side you looked at, how long you spoke in total, etc. This VR training is helping to reduce stress, and you will feel more confident when presenting at conferences and meetings. Find in this short video how VR raining can look from the point of the user.
2. Emotional intelligence training
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In virtual environments, we can train emotional intelligence skills such as empathy, active listening, or controlling emotions when dealing with different situations. Thanks to exposure to virtual situations, your employees can train their behaviour and resistance to unexpected situations with consumers, business partners, or family members. Training helps us act judiciously and without projecting our emotions in business meetings. On the other hand empathetic when resolving conflict among our employees in the company.
The possibility of embodying concrete situations such as o2o meetings, 360 feedback, conflict resolution, managing an interview, or providing feedback allows employees to train specific skills they are lacking in performing their job well. And the bonus is that this training is also available for mobile and PC.
