How does virtual reality help to make work experiences more inclusive?

Jeffrey Boopathy
5 min readJun 2, 2023

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Step into your colleague’s shoes and experience their daily routine like never before with the power of virtual reality. This technology isn’t just for video games; it has the potential to revolutionize how we work and make our workplaces more inclusive. With the rise in remote work and the importance of diversity and inclusivity, organizations can leverage virtual reality to create a more welcoming environment for their employees. Through immersive experiences, employees can gain new perspectives, learn about different cultures and lifestyles, and understand accessibility and inclusion. Let’s explore how virtual reality can help make work experiences more inclusive and diverse.

What is Inclusive Behaviour in VR

Inclusive behaviour in VR involves creating a virtual environment that is welcoming, safe, and accessible for all users, regardless of their background, identity, or ability. This includes designing VR experiences that are sensitive to the needs of diverse user groups, incorporating user feedback to improve accessibility and usability, and ensuring that VR experiences do not reinforce harmful stereotypes or biases.

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One example of inclusive behaviour in VR is the development of a VR training program by Accenture that helps employees understand and address unconscious bias in the workplace. The program uses VR simulations to simulate scenarios where employees may encounter discrimination, such as during job interviews or performance reviews. By immersing employees in these scenarios, the program aims to increase empathy and understanding of the impact of bias on marginalized groups.

How VR encourages inclusive behaviors

Virtual reality (VR) can foster inclusive behaviours in employees by offering a safe and immersive environment for developing diversity and inclusion skills. With VR simulations, employees can gain insight into different perspectives, cultures, and identities, increasing empathy and understanding. Furthermore, VR can help address unconscious biases by providing a controlled space for practising making unbiased decisions. By practising inclusive behaviours in a supportive VR environment, employees can apply their skills to real-life situations, creating a more diverse and inclusive work environment.

Building the foundational skills for an inclusive workplace

Strivr, a company specializing in VR-based training programs, has identified four critical skills for promoting inclusive behaviours in the workplace. These skills are:

Empathy

It is the capacity to understand and express the feelings of others. In the context of inclusivity, empathy involves understanding and appreciating the experiences and perspectives of people who are different from ourselves. VR-based training programs can help develop empathy by simulating scenarios that allow users to experience the world from different perspectives and understand the challenges faced by others.

Active Listening

It is the ability to concentrate and entirely understand what someone is saying. In the context of inclusivity, active listening involves giving full attention to the ideas and perspectives of others, particularly those who may have different backgrounds or experiences. VR-based training programs can help develop active listening skills by simulating conversations and interactions that require attentive listening and response.

Communication

It is the ability to convey ideas and information to others effectively. In the context of inclusivity, communication involves expressing oneself clearly and respectfully, mainly when communicating with people from different backgrounds or experiences. VR-based training programs can help develop communication skills by simulating conversations and interactions that require precise and respectful communication.

Virtual Reality-Led Inclusion Training

Virtual Reality-led inclusion training is becoming an increasingly popular solution for promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

According to RedThread Research, the D&I tech industry is overgrowing, with a market size of approximately $100 million in 2019. Virtual reality is a significant player in this space, with many companies developing VR-based training programs to promote diversity and inclusion.

The importance of the D&I tech industry lies in its potential to help organizations build more inclusive workplaces. Diversity and inclusion are key components of a healthy and prosperous organization. Research has shown that diverse and inclusive workplaces have higher levels of employee engagement, better decision-making, and increased innovation and creativity.

However, creating a diverse and inclusive workplace can be challenging. Sometimes unconscious biases, communication barriers, and other challenges can make it difficult for employees to feel included and valued. This is where the D&I tech industry comes in.

D&I tech companies are developing tools and solutions that can help organizations address these challenges and promote a more inclusive workplace. These tools can range from software that helps eliminate bias in hiring processes to virtual reality-led inclusion training, as discussed earlier.

By leveraging technology to promote diversity and inclusion, organizations can improve employee satisfaction and retention, enhance their reputation as an employer, and gain a competitive advantage in their industry.

Impact Of Virtual Reality-Led Training

Virtual reality-led inclusion training can significantly impact organizations and their employees. Here are some of the ways how VR-led inclusion training can make a difference:

Increased empathy and understanding: Virtual reality simulations may generate realistic scenarios that allow employees to feel what it’s like to be in another person’s shoes. This can help employees develop empathy and understanding for people different from themselves, such as individuals from different cultural backgrounds or abilities.

Improved communication and decision-making skills: Virtual reality simulations can provide a safe and controlled environment for employees to practice their communication and decision-making skills in various scenarios. This can help employees feel more confident and capable when they encounter similar situations in the workplace.

Reduced bias and discrimination: Virtual reality-led inclusion training can help employees recognize and overcome their unconscious biases, such as race, gender, or age. This can help reduce discrimination and create a more inclusive workplace culture.

Enhanced employee engagement and retention: Employees who feel valued and included are likelier to be engaged and committed to their work. Virtual reality-led inclusion training can help create a workplace culture that values diversity and inclusion, improving employee retention and satisfaction.

Conclusion

Virtual reality has the potential to enhance workplace inclusivity significantly. By providing immersive and interactive simulations, VR can offer employees a safe and controlled environment to learn and practice new skills, collaborate with colleagues, and experience scenarios that might be challenging or uncomfortable in real life. This technology can also help reduce bias and increase empathy by enabling individuals to walk in someone else’s shoes and better understand diverse perspectives.

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Jeffrey Boopathy
Jeffrey Boopathy

Written by Jeffrey Boopathy

🎙Building my first Saas product | 5+ years in podcasting | Let's connect on LinkedIn -> https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyboopathy/

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