VR Applications for Enhanced Employee Onboarding

The onboarding process is a critical phase in any organisation, as it sets the tone for an employee’s entire journey within the company. In recent years, Virtual Reality (VR) applications have gained recognition as a powerful tool to enhance the employee onboarding experience. By integrating VR technology into the onboarding process, companies can achieve rapid immersion in company culture, foster team bonding, build cohesion, conduct functional training effectively, evaluate performance, and ensure safety.

Here at VRE we have helped in all of these areas using a range of platforms and hardware. With long careers in training and traditional onboarding methods we have been able to see the difference in engagement and training transfer that VR offers.

Interview

One of the most daunting steps in the onboarding process is the initial interview. VR technology can provide a unique solution to help potential employees adapt to this process. Imagine being able to conduct mock interviews in a VR environment, simulating real interview scenarios. This helps candidates practice and build their confidence.

Not strictly onboarding but universities and colleges have found interview training in VR extremely useful, with our partners such as Bodyswaps it is possible to offer effective and engaging interview training at scale.

Some companies have adopted VR interviews to evaluate candidates for their soft skills, such as communication, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence. This not only benefits candidates but also makes the hiring process more efficient and accurate for employers, especially useful if candidates are located around the world and you want to interview them in a more natural and engaging way. With our VR hubs located around the world we can quickly ship a headset to a candidate next day and meet them in a virtual space, interview and also see how they present.

Office Tours

Traditional office tours can be mundane and often fail to provide a comprehensive understanding of the workplace. VR can bring office tours to life by offering immersive 3D experiences. Prospective employees can explore the office space, get familiar with their future work environment, and even meet virtually with their future colleagues. This immersive tour creates excitement and comfort, allowing newcomers to envision themselves as a part of the team before they even set foot in the physical office.

Team Integration

Building strong team dynamics is a key goal of the onboarding process. VR can facilitate team integration by enabling new hires to interact with their future team members in a virtual environment. They can engage in team-building exercises, play virtual icebreaker games, and collaborate on tasks without the need for physical presence. VR-powered team integration activities make it easier for employees to connect, fostering a sense of camaraderie right from the start.

We have run many team build sessions for large multinationals where it is hard for teams to get together regularly, they may in fact only meet once a year if at all, VR allows them to meet much more regularly in amazing interactive spaces.

Functional Training

Traditional training methods can be time-consuming and might not always effectively convey information. VR training modules, on the other hand, provide a more interactive and engaging experience. New employees can simulate real-life scenarios, work on tasks, and make mistakes without real-world consequences. This enables them to acquire job-specific skills and knowledge quickly, ensuring they are better prepared for their roles.

Onboarding Process

The entire onboarding process itself can be streamlined through VR applications. Companies can create a virtual onboarding environment where new employees navigate through modules at their own pace. This personalized approach ensures that individuals receive all necessary information, complete required training, and stay engaged throughout the process.

A lot of VR training systems also incorporate LMS so you can track who has done what training, how quickly they completed it and examine the data, are there any patterns, do all new employees make the same mistakes? Useful information for any Training Manager.

Advantages of VR in Employee Onboarding

Rapid Immersion in Company Culture: VR allows new employees to immerse themselves in the company’s culture, values, and mission from day one.

Team Bonding: Virtual team-building activities foster early connections among employees, enhancing team cohesion. VR helps in creating a sense of belonging and commitment to the organization.

Performance Evaluation: Assessing employees’ performance in VR simulations can provide valuable insights into their readiness for the job.

Safety: VR can be used to train employees on safety protocols and emergency procedures in a risk-free environment.

Potential Disadvantages

While VR applications offer immense potential in improving the employee onboarding process, there are some potential drawbacks:

• Cost: Implementing VR technology can be expensive, particularly for small businesses. We offset this by offering free VR hire with our training courses.
• Accessibility: Not all employees may be comfortable with or have access to VR technology. We can offer VR hire to address this and often there are desktop options available so people can join in with their laptop, no VR needed.

Interesting Facts and Events

Walmart introduced VR training for employees in 2017, allowing associates to practice different scenarios, including the holiday rush, in a virtual environment.

According to a PwC survey, 69% of top-performing companies in employee onboarding use technology for training and development, including VR.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, companies like Nestlé and Accenture turned to VR onboarding to ensure a smooth transition for remote hires.

How do you virtually onboard an employee?

Virtual employee onboarding is a process that allows new employees to integrate into their new roles and company culture remotely. It typically involves a combination of technology, communication tools, and well-structured processes. Here are the steps to virtually onboard an employee:

• Preparation and Planning: Create a detailed onboarding plan that outlines the entire process, including timelines, responsibilities, and goals. Ensure all required training materials, documents, and resources are accessible online. Make sure you allow plenty of time for shipping and orientations.
• Technology Setup: Provide necessary hardware and software: Ship any company equipment, such as laptops and access credentials, to the new employee’s home. Offer virtual IT support for software installation, account setup, and troubleshooting.
• Virtual Orientation: The most crucial step we find in any VR onboarding is conducting one to one online orientation sessions, make sure all new team members are completely comfortable with the VR headset before any meetings or team sessions in VR.
• Training and Skill Development: Utilise e-learning platforms. Offer access to online training courses or modules. Host video conferences for role-specific training and development.
• Meetings with Key Personnel: VR makes it easy to introduce team members wherever they are. Arrange virtual meetings with team members and key colleagues to facilitate introductions. Set up meetings with supervisors and mentors to discuss roles, expectations, and career development, all in the metaverse where they can interact like they would in the real world.
• Company Culture Engagement: Organise VR team-building activities or social events to build rapport among employees, we specialise in this and help teams from all over the world meet and have fun working together in VR.
• Feedback and Evaluation: VR is great for feedback, after team building or leadership development sessions our psychologists can feedback to teams and their leaders, what they did well and how they can improve, even if they are in different locations.
• Mentorship and Support: One of the key services we have provided in VR is actually coaching programmes, we have run these for companies with attendees across US, EU and Asia, we have found VR extremely effective for coaching training and practice.
• Continuous Learning: Offer opportunities for continuous education, skill enhancement, and career growth.

By following these steps and adapting them to your company’s specific needs, you can successfully virtually onboard an employee, ensuring a smooth transition into their new role and the organisation. Effective virtual onboarding not only helps new employees feel welcome but also sets the stage for their long-term success within the company.

Conclusion

Virtual Reality applications offer a unique and innovative approach to enhance the employee onboarding process. They allow for rapid immersion in company culture, foster team bonding, build cohesion, streamline functional training, and provide effective onboarding. While there are some potential disadvantages, the benefits of VR technology in onboarding are substantial. As the technology continues to evolve, more companies are likely to incorporate VR applications to provide their employees with an engaging, effective, and memorable onboarding experience.