New Trends in the Hybrid Workplace: Exploring the Potential of XR
As the world continues to adjust to remote work, companies across the globe are exploring ways to enhance virtual collaboration—one virtual reality (VR) goggle at a time. While virtual and augmented reality have been hailed as the next frontier in office exploration, their impact thus far has not fully materialized. Nevertheless, XR technology still holds great potential for modern hybrid workplaces.
Jussi Havu, the CEO of Helsinki-based company Glue Collaborations, starts off every Monday morning with a meeting in virtual reality with his 30 coworkers. Glue’s mission is to integrate VR into traditional office work. Havu is optimistic about the business potential of XR: “There is a lot of business potential in this,” he says.
For millions of office workers who were forced to transition from desks to couches in 2020, video conferences became a daily chore. Some workers felt isolated from their teams and exhausted from constant meetings, while managers feared that the autonomy brought by video conferencing could hinder productivity.
Extended reality (XR) quickly emerged as a solution to alleviate the flaws of video conferencing. This umbrella term encompasses various ways of experiencing digital environments. In augmented reality, participants use semi-transparent lenses that overlay virtual images (e.g., a whiteboard) onto the real world. Virtual reality, on the other hand, creates an entirely immersive digital space using lenses and headphones.
Technology giants and workplace consultants predicted that XR would revolutionize intellectual work environments and become an integral part of employees’ daily routines. According to a survey conducted by international professional services firm PwC in 2022, over 500 American companies stated that they have implemented VR into their business or are in the process of doing so.
However, overall, this workplace revolution has not met the expected hype. Employees are not spending their entire day in the Metaverse. Nevertheless, several XR tech companies, like Glue Collaborations, argue that AR and VR still have their uses—and great potential for development—in a world where hybrid work is becoming the standard and both employees and companies seek a seamless connection between the office and home experiences.
XR companies are hopeful that their technology will enable a type of collaboration that is currently reserved for in-person meetings. One of the most common current applications of XR is training. According to PwC, employees who received instructions through VR learned in one-fourth of the time compared to those trained in a traditional classroom and half the time compared to online courses. PwC researchers also found that VR users felt more confident in applying their acquired skills, likely due to virtual practice in XR simulations.
Representatives from the Norwegian AR company Naer allow users to put on Meta Quest goggles and engage in virtual brainstorming sessions with their colleagues. Whether they are in the same room or on different continents, Naer—which derived its name from the Norwegian word for “close”—enables everyone to recreate the experience of collaboration on a physical whiteboard.
According to Christoph Fleischmann, the founder and CEO of Arthur Technologies, the goal of VR and AR is to recreate personal interactions. For French banking giant Société Générale, Arthur’s platform allows both employees and clients to appear as animated avatars—from the waist up—during meetings, surrounded by a luxurious virtual office and virtual slide screens.
This technology also allows users to interpret body language as they would during real conversations, unlike the constant interruptions of video conferences. Arthur’s platform also enables users to have private conversations simply by turning their heads. “It’s the thousands of small things that make collaboration smoother and better,” Fleischmann says.
These experts argue that XR can be easier to master than video conferencing technology because it better reflects natural human interactions. However, while the learning curve may not be as long or difficult, there are still barriers to widespread XR adoption, many of which have existed since the onset of the technology.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. What is XR (extended reality)?
Extended reality (XR) is a broad term referring to various ways of experiencing digital environments. Participants use semi-transparent lenses that overlay virtual images onto the real world or engage with an entirely immersive digital space using lenses and headphones.
2. What are the applications of XR technology?
XR technology has many applications, including training, workplace collaboration, meetings, simulations, virtual office spaces, and more.
3. What are the benefits of using VR technology in training?
Research shows that virtual reality (VR) training can accelerate the learning process, with employees learning in less time compared to traditional classrooms or online courses. VR simulations in training give participants the opportunity for practical, immersive experiences, increasing confidence in applying acquired skills.
4. What are the applications of XR technology in workplace collaboration?
XR technology has the potential to enable higher-level remote collaboration, currently reserved for in-person meetings. This can include collaborative brainstorming sessions, interactive virtual office spaces, visual communication, and body language interpretation.
5. What are the barriers to widespread XR adoption?
One of the main barriers to widespread XR adoption is cost. Companies like Arthur Technologies primarily focus on large international organizations with significant budgets and complex hierarchies, such as Société Générale, the United Nations, and PwC itself. These companies can afford to invest in $500 headphones for their employees, and the potential savings from reduced business travel and productivity gains make the investment worthwhile. “We are indeed much further in building strategies for larger corporations that can adopt this technology and achieve a high return on investment,” says Fleischmann, “than in proving that XR technology is superior to traditional video conferencing tools.”
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