– A way to stay relevant in the pandemic era –
The world is close to a year into the worst health crisis of the last few decades and people have slowly realized how it began changing. Aside from the catastrophic case count and life losses, most leading industries began shifting their practices on fast forward in an attempt to recoup some of the losses and to catch up with the companies which got ahead.
With individuals compelled to work from home in as much as possible, they have started to distance themselves from society at all levels. One can freely notice how people’s inherent social nature is wilting away, while their neglected need of socializing is apparently dying down as well. Therefore, society is poised to go through a period during which the very notion of how members of organizations work together is being challenged.
For the moment, people are making do with the tools they have on hand, such as well-established video-conferencing tools, like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. What if there would be another way to do this, while offering a more complete and solid alternative in the process? Many argue that the solution has already been found and that it has already been here for a while now.
Virtual Reality has been on the market in some form or another for years now. However, people did not regard it as being serious enough due to how deeply rooted the technology was in the gaming world. However, during a time of distress and staunch social interactions one can argue that offering an environment where you could take part in work meetings and leisure activities all within the comfort and safety of your home would be quite fitting.
With the rapid evolution of this and many other industries, VR environments have become increasingly responsive and immersive graphical masterpieces, often leading users to mistake them for real life.
This way, people have come one pair of VR glasses and a laptop or console away from taking part in meetings or social activities the like that many would not even dare to believe existed, in a time when people are more apart than ever before.
With the risk of sounding insensitive, the coronavirus pandemic has in part served as a catalyst for people to come to terms with the benefits of incorporating VR into their professional lives and perhaps into their general day to day activities.
An industry which suits the use of VR perhaps like no other, is the training and coaching sector.
Amongst the top companies that have already appealed to VR for their day to day practices is Tyson Foods, an absolute mammoth in the food sector worldwide. They are making use of VR in getting employees accustomed to using complex machinery safely. As a consequence, they have seen their productivity improve drastically. Tyson Foods is not the only company however, which has opted for a VR and AR focused training method for their Learning and Development departments.
Hundreds of others have decided to try out this seemingly gold blazed solution for themselves. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that a lot of new companies have emerged as a result of the surging demand. Many industries, especially the ones heavily battered by the pandemic like tourism and entertainment have gone for this alternative.
As far as VR was concerned, it was a tremendous period for innovation.
There have been variations of VR aimed at solving people’s need to tour the world and explore new things, in which they could use a VR set to transcend geographical barriers and explore virtually any place on the planet that has satellite coverage.
Stanford researchers have explored the use of VR for medical research and training. These are just two examples to attest to the great capabilities of the technology.
Vector’s approach is a bit different, as it is the kind of company that gives its partner enterprises free reign over the sort of environment their business requires. Except for the custom option, they also offer peer reviewed and proven training programs to hone employee’s wellbeing as well as their productivity.
VR has seen some great progress in the wake of the current health crisis as well as a heightened demand and overall expansion of their market. However, it remains to be seen how this upward trend will continue. Although I would not like to be the one left behind. Would you?
