{"id":8603,"date":"2021-03-22T12:30:15","date_gmt":"2021-03-22T16:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/?p=8603"},"modified":"2026-02-12T04:49:35","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T09:49:35","slug":"virtual-reality-vr-ar-tips-hr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/virtual-reality-vr-ar-tips-hr\/","title":{"rendered":"Virtual reality and augmented reality: Why HR and People leaders should embrace VR and AR"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPeople & Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tVirtual reality and augmented reality: Why HR and People leaders should embrace VR and AR\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\tTom Haak<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Tom Haak, director of the HR Trend Institute, explains why HR and People leaders should embrace virtual reality and augmented reality applications.<\/strong>
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Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies are not passing fads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once just the sci-fi creation of film makers, now the technology exists, and it\u2019s already being used to great effect by many early adopters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the HR sector may be slower to adopt the technology, the possible application areas of VR and AR in the HR domain are phenomenal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are just a few ideas to get you started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Transform your workforce with Sage<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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No matter the size of your team, Sage offers HR solutions to help you lead, manage, and engage your people.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFind out more<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Candidate sourcing and pre-selection \u2013 try before you buy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

How many times have you wondered if a candidate will be an excellent worker or if they are just good at interviews?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VR technology enables HR and People teams to simulate a near real experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to see how your candidate will handle a tricky customer on a shop floor or deal with a crisis, VR can create that scenario for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This gives you a chance to really see how your candidate reacts and gives them a chance to see if this is the kind of job they really want to do, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Selection \u2013 the world is your recruitment pool<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cast your net wider by interviewing candidates from all over the world. You are no longer constrained to the pool of people in your town, city or even your country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A candidate can be interviewed without having to travel to the location of the organization, and still get a very real interview experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Onboarding \u2013 make sure they are ready for work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

VR enables HR and People teams<\/a> to help new candidates be a part of the business before they join, wherever they are in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They can learn about the business, products and services. They can even virtually visit all of your office locations so that when they walk through the door on their first day of work, it feels like they\u2019re already part of the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Training \u2013 the possibilities are endless<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The possibilities of VR and AR for learning and training are endless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When training employees on how to use complex and expensive machinery, it\u2019s far easier and just as effective to train them on virtual machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, training medical students on complex procedures becomes possible using VR, where it would be impractical or dangerous to use a real human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I once had to deal with a virtual oil leak for an oil and gas client. The situation felt very real and frightening, even though it was just a simulation for health and safety training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Take an interactive tour of Sage People<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Discover how Sage People can transform the way you hire, manage, engage, and retain your workforce in this self-guided interactive product tour.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBegin Tour<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Enhancing real work \u2013 combine human and machine force<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Human force has its limitations. Machines can greatly enhance a human\u2019s capabilities so that things which are not humanly possible, become possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together with AR, people can achieve amazing things and save lives in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AR devices are helping surgeons in operating rooms to see every single miniscule detail inside their patients\u2019 bodies before using the knife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also used for maintenance in complex manufacturing environments. Heavy machinery can be scanned and accessed without having to take it apart which can be extremely dangerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Road works become a lot easier if you can see any cables under the surface, so that you avoid drilling into them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But are HR and People teams adopting VR and AR?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In my view, it\u2019s early days. Generally, the uptake of HR tech is slow. Also, it\u2019s not so easy to quickly develop cool VR solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most solutions need to be tailored to be really effective, and that costs time and money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Usually, organizations adopt technology when they have a crisis or an urgent issue to resolve. In many organizations, recruitment is an urgent issue, but developing VR solutions for employer branding and selection is probably not number one on the priority list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although we don\u2019t have solid data, we predict that healthcare, along with industries that are connected to high risks (oil and gas and the military) and complex design and manufacturing<\/a> environments are the likely sectors that will adopt VR and AR technology fastest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the barriers to adoption?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

New technology can be frightening. Many HR executives have not grown up using YouTube<\/a> and Snapchat. Using VR and AR requires some imagination, and real experience helps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adopting new technologies also requires an experimental approach. Initially, the solutions will be far from perfect, but early adopters will learn fast, and they will be able to work closely with suppliers to improve the solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To really succeed in your adoption of AR and VR, you need to connect it to a business need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use them to solve a problem and once you have the solution, integrate that into your work and daily routines. VR and AR are not \u2018nice to have\u2019 gadgets, they are important business tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Embrace VR and reap the rewards<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

VR and AR are both immersive technologies with huge potential to transform and overhaul the way businesses operate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the key benefits to an organization of adopting VR and AR applications within HR include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n