VR at Work: Unique Collaboration Tool or Metaverse Hellscape?

Meta (née Facebook) envisions a world where workers put on VR headsets to log into work each day. But virtual reality hardware is expensive and bulky, and the metaverse is confusing for the uninitiated. Still, some companies have found ways to implement the technology—to the chagrin of most employees.

Search company OSlash(Opens in a new window) collected some data on the matter. Nearly 30% of the 1,000-plus Americans it polled use VR on the job. But just 53% of those respondents felt VR integration actually benefits their company.

To be clear, the survey’s respondents can see some uses for virtual reality. Most believe it would help the healthcare, tourism, entertainment, and fashion industries the most. And for real-world benefits in their own workplaces, VR could help with training programs for staff, increasing connections and collaboration, improving the efficiency of product development, and more.

That’s all hypothetical, though. In practice, just 30% of the people who use VR at work believe it increases their productivity. Furthermore, when asked about future VR implementation, 39% of respondents felt overwhelmed by the idea, and 34% were indifferent. Only 27% said they were excited by the idea.

Will virtual reality catch on in the workplace? VR doesn’t currently appear to be as helpful as tech companies claim, but things may change as the technology matures. But for now, only 38% of people purchases VR headsets for work, compared with the 61% who use it for gaming.