Chisato ShizumeVirtual reality, or VR, is utilized in various areas across the world. This fast-growing technology has the potential to affect many aspects of social activities such as corporate training, education and welfare activities. And because it has the ability of providing an experience for users to stand in someone’s shoes, VR can open people’s minds to understand others’ perspectives.
Silver Wood Co., Ltd., a corporation based in Japan, announced its collaboration with JMA Management Center Inc. to produce and release VR content related to workplace harassment as part of corporate training.
Workplace harassment in Japan includes workplace bullying, or so-called power harassment, that has become a huge public concern in recent years. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare carried out a survey on the actual situation of power harassment at workplaces in recent years. It revealed that power harassment was the most common problem consulted at local labor bureaus and other offices for employees, marking at 32.4 percent. The survey also showed up to 52.2 percent of subject corporations provide corporate training to prevent and end power harassment at workplaces.
Interestingly, 82.9 percent of the corporations answered they established consulting services at workplaces, but only 60.6 percent of them felt they were effective in eliminating harassment. On the contrary, corporations that provided corporate training on harassment to managerial employees were 63.4 percent, but 74.2 percent of those corporations felt it was effective (similar to the above). This research implies that corporate training still has gaps for improvement, and using VR technology may overcome that gap to end workplace harassment.
In other countries like U.S., VR technology is utilized in other fields such as education. Bringing blackboard and textbook knowledge to life is an amazing experience for learning students. Again, by producing appropriate content, VR can contribute to eliminating bullying at schools too. School bullying and deaths related to this matter is very severe in Japan. The number of children who attempts suicide spikes on September 1 every year, because it is often the first day of a new school term. Maybe our stunning technology can save these youths if VR can teach students to care for others in real life.
VR experiences can help us to learn other’s perspectives and values by looking at the world through their eyes. It can also be utilized for various purposes by preparing wide-range of contents. This technology may become a solution to create a thoughtful and safe society for all people.
