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VIRTUAL REALITY: The impact brought to the HR department

20 Oct 2015

[cml_media_alt id='5930']41 VR[/cml_media_alt]

Virtual reality (VR) is being adopted more and more in organizations. As a reference to this fact, Oculus Rift, one of the biggest developers in the world, was acquired by Facebook last year for 2.3 billion dollars, and companies such as Sony and Microsoft are investing large sums in the technology.

60 years ago, virtual reality was used by the military in the form of a flight simulator. In the 90s, VR was introduced to the world of video games, although without much success. In recent years, VR has grown so much that at the beginning of 2016 it is expected to be launched for consumers.

We are firmly convinced that virtual reality will bring impact in most industries. For example, a real estate agent who spends a good part of a week on the field, viewing potential clients; as a customer, you would rather spend your evenings with an Oculus and “viewing” apartments than driving from location to location.

Working in the field of teambuilding and training, we have often thought about what the impact of virtual reality could be and we have come to the following conclusions:

SIMULATIONS
Incidentally, probably the most obvious aspect. It is often mentioned that the best way to learn is through an experience and what is the best method if not through virtual reality? Imagine an oil company that wants a training in which it simulates a force majeure situation. The simulation can be created around an exciting experience but offered under safe conditions.

BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER
Studies have shown that the best method to unite a team is to provide them with the framework for face-to-face interactions. Most of the time this is not practical or profitable, especially if the team is spread in all corners of the world. Virtual reality does not offer traditional face-to-face interaction, but places people in a virtual world where they can interact with each other, perhaps even in a team building activity. Also, imagination is the only limit in the case of a virtual teambuilding.

LIMITS OF THE TRAINING ROOM
It will not happen in the next 5-10 years, but we will definitely be surprised if the traditional system in which 20 people come to a specific place to take part in a training will change. Similar to the previous point, it is not always practical to move to a specific location for a few hours of training, when you can simply use a pair of glasses and join other people in a training session.

For these aspects to happen, many things have to change, but if you consider how many things have happened in recent years, together with the exponential growth of the industrial sector globally, you think that things will not change in this industry?

At Internet & Mobile World 2015, we were able to enjoy the Oculus Rift experience and we are extremely excited that in a few years we will include it in our teambuilding experiences! 🙂

Article translated and adapted from the blog our colleagues biz-group.ae.

How to turn your employees into Brand Ambassadors

08 Jun 2015

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Internationally, many companies choose stars or athletes to represent them as Brand Ambassadors. Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods or Ellen DeGeneres were and are representatives of international brands.

If we look at this fact in more detail, celebrities are not the only options in terms of ambassadors that your company should focus on. Look closer to you, right at the desk next to you! Your colleagues are the best ambassadors your company can have.

Companies invest millions of dollars to prepare them to become Brand Ambassadors. To start this process right, your colleagues need to:
• Know what the company’s mission is – what the company wants and how it differentiates itself from the competition;
• Understand the “Brand Promise” and be able to explain the most important elements of the brand identity;
• To implement the “Brand Promise” of the company.

The involvement of Employee Engagement strategies in the creation of Brand Ambassadors is essential. Scarlett Surveys International defines Employee Engagement as “a measure of employees’ emotional attachment to their job, colleagues or company. This, whether negative or positive, influences their desire to learn more and perform.”

It is well known that Employee Engagement is critical for an organization , and the benefits exist on both sides. 2015 comes with a wave of challenges for the strategies of the HR department in terms of its development.

However, in order to turn them into Brand Ambassadors, we come with some tips:

1. Prioritize Brand Awareness
A study conducted by Gallup on a sample of 3,000 employees, brought to light a shocking truth: only 41% of employees agree with the following statement: “I know the purpose of the organization and what makes us different from the competition.” The conclusion of the study is that more than half of the employees are not aware of the power of the company’s brand. In this case, leadership of the “learning by doing” type is the most appropriate, but do not leave aside other types of activities to increase the company’s brand awareness: event or teambuilding activities that bring forward this component.

2. Stories with branding
The stories told by employees about the company’s management, good practices and the company’s impact on their lives are precious and turn them into Brand Ambassadors. From family, to friends or people met on trips, employees tell their story and that of your company.
In a company where Brand Awareness is properly achieved, even the employees’ families become Brand Ambassadors (through the alliance) :D.

3. Company culture
In order for employees to be proud Brand Ambassadors, they also need the right context, and in this case, the context is given by the company’s organizational culture. The company must consider all the details of creating and maintaining this culture: from small things to big things, from the company’s Social Media activity, to events specially created to promote this culture. The employees who deliver the “Brand Promise” of the company must be recognized for this, and from here to being even more motivated to continue doing it, the road is simple.

In conclusion, the employee brand, as well as the actions necessary to build and manage it, are powerful tools that can be used to add value to the company through the HR department.