Time for some (Virtual) Reality?

The hybrid style of working – half at home, half in office – is likely to become the norm for many companies after the world emerges from the Covid pandemic. Can Virtual Reality help with that?

So, with a reliable Internet connection at home what tools are coming down the line that will make up for the loss of not being in the office.

What’s the problem?

How will we share gossip or share those ‘Water Cooler’ moments. Or how do new employees introduce themselves to the team?

Where many of us donned a shirt and tie to head into work will we see a future that requires us all to put on a Virtual Reality headset. Facebook thinks so, and is placing a big bet on this future becoming a reality.

Is Virtual Reality (VR) a Solution?

Maria Fernandez Guajardo of Oculus, the VR company Facebook bought in 2014, says isolation from colleagues is a growing problem.

Facebook’s “mixed reality” workspace using its Oculus headset will enable users to overlay in tools in their actual work environment.

She says the company is developing a super-powered augmented workspace where employees will be able to don an headset to enter a virtual work environment.’

Ms Guajardo says: ‘You can have all the documents you want, you can see everybody spatially, you can turn your head and talk to somebody.’

So having a chat in the reality of being anywhere you envision is likely to be a viable option for anyone in the next few years.