What just happened? MGM is preparing to use virtual reality to get a leg up in the job market. Starting in January, select MGM employment centers will be equipped with virtual reality headsets. The idea is to let job applicants try out their role before signing on with the company in an effort to limit attrition.
In other words, the VR experience should give them a pretty good idea of what to expect from the position, and if they don’t like it, they can save both sides time and money by not accepting the gig and looking for something that is a better fit elsewhere.
Laura Lee, MGM Resorts' chief HR officer, told Business Insider that with the VR experience, applicants can “throw a headset on and really experience the job.” She added that she "absolutely" expects that some candidates will take themselves out of the running after trying out a role in VR.
MGM is working with VR firm Strivr on the experience, who has also worked with FedEx, Verizon, Bank of America and Walmart on enterprise VR training.
Past efforts by MGM Resorts to prepare new employees for what to expect on the job included showing them day-in-the-life videos and hosting chats with existing employees, but nothing has approached this level of insight. We also haven't seen this many people quitting their jobs in a long time, leading to a nationwide labor shortage.
Lee said some hospitality staff have complained that guests are ruder during the pandemic. As such, MGM will include some “difficult guest interactions” in its VR simulation to gauge how potential applicants handle such situations.
https://www.techspot.com/news/92608-mgm-resorts-partnering-strivr-enterprise-vr-training.html
