Is VR the future of your workplace?

Battling issues with diversity and inclusion has been a lasting priority for organisations and technology is an asset which can be utilised to create a more comfortable environment for staff.

Through a combination of virtual reality (VR) and psychometric testing, Jenson8's immersive human-centred HR tech platform strives to aid businesses in bringing greater change to their workplace environments. The platform was developed to provide a psychologically safe place where everyone is pitted on the same level and is free to fail, learn and practise.

Jenson8 aims to create a safe environment for employees to be immersed in for discussing diversity and inclusion. The tools are available to make behavioural changes for those staff who may not be as inclusive as they want or should be.

VR was viewed by the founder and CEO of Jenson8 Jena Davidson as a dynamic tool that could enable positive and lasting behaviour changes. This is because she believed learning at work feels and looks different to the outdated learning and development landscape we are in.

The platform's data provides insight into how teams collaborate together and the behaviours of individuals. Through artificial intelligence, team and individual behaviour patterns which were not obvious at first can be identified.

Davidson recently hosted a webinar where she touched on her first experience with VR, stating: "It was about seven or eight years ago now when I first put a virtual reality headset on, and I remember this monster running towards me."

She mentioned this experience led to her future plans, saying: "The thing that really stuck out to me is I felt something. Although I believe I felt scared, it was that feeling that really sparked an idea which helped us transition the business."

Jenson8 was formed by Davidson and her team from theorising that "learning in the workplace can feel completely different and that can be done in a number of ways, one of which is using our multi-person virtual reality and dynamic psychometric testing."

Amidst growing numbers of organisations seeking revolutionary methods for training staff, Davidson believes Jenson8 has "created a space where you can keep practising by trying different things. It's that ability to hold people accountable to wanting to continue to develop, get better and being able to create a space where people are happy and psychologically safe."

The CEO added that usage of VR "creates an environment where it's okay to say 'I don't know', to ask for help, to be able to get it wrong and practice doing it again. It's a fantastic way of using the platform."

Through identifying VR's potential early on, Jenson8 remains a trailblazer in its industry.

Davidson advises businesses looking for fresh business practices to be observant. She said: "A learner mindset is really important. For anyone bringing in any new tool into an organisation, VR or other, it can be quite a challenge in the way of having to get stakeholders to buy into it."

Lastly, Davidson stressed how not every new idea may work out, saying: "There's always a risk of bringing in something new; is it going to work? If it does, that's fantastic, if it doesn't then how does that feel and what can be learnt?"

Whilst VR continues to increase its presence throughout the business world, it is expected to increase its relevance in the tech landscape as Apple is preparing to launch their VR/AR headset later this year.

Artificial intelligence is also having a significant impact on the workspace of organisations and that trend should increase in the next decade. It will be up to businesses and their staff to adapt to these technological advancements entering the workspace as it can set them up for success.

With how fast VR and AI technology are moving these days, who knows, maybe our future workplaces will be virtual.