MGM Resorts is giving job applicants the chance to try out roles using virtual reality in the hope that it will reduce employee attrition.
By using a virtual reality headset, the company hopes that job seekers will be able to see if the role is what they expected.
Laura Lee, MGM Resorts' chief HR officer, told Insider that it can be difficult to explain the types of positions. She said that applicants can experience the job with the virtual reality experience.
Employers are having to work harder to get new hires. Many companies have recruited staff only to see them hand in their notice a short time later after the job didn't match their expectations There are record numbers of workers quitting their jobs in the industry.
The company is using technology to reduce turnover. She said that it would be using headsets for customer service at its employment centers, as well as using them for training at career fairs.
In the past, MGM Resorts used videos and chats with current employees to give applicants an insight into roles, but nothing like this.
Some staff at the hotel have complained that customers have beenruder during the Pandemic. Difficult guest interactions would be included in MGM Resorts' virtual reality module.
Lee said she expected some candidates to decide it wasn't right for them after trying out a role using virtual reality.
She said that sometimes candidates accept jobs without realizing how difficult they are. She said that if MGM Resorts had used the technology at recent casino openings, it might have resolved some turnover that occurred when people accepted positions and realized it wasn't what they thought it would be.
Laura Lee said that MGM Resorts would be implementing headsets.
MGM Resorts is a company.
MGM Resorts' upcoming expansion into Japan would be especially useful with the virtual reality. The country doesn't have any casinos, meaning potential employees may be unfamiliar with what those types of jobs are like.
Lee said that the virtual reality wouldn't be used for office-based roles. The company would use the technology to operate casino games and check guests into hotels.
The package was developed by MGM Resorts and works with Walmart, Bank of America, and FedEx.
Some companies are using the technology to assess workers' abilities. Walmart used virtual reality headsets to see if employees should be promoted to middle-management positions.
The data gathered from using virtual reality can be very powerful for both the employee and the employer, as well as for the employer to make better data-driven decisions.
MGM's staffing levels are on the mend.
MGM Resorts said in its 2020 annual report that it had frozen hiring, canceled merit pay increases, and reduced head count to minimize cash outflows during the first wave of COVID-19 lockdowns.
Lee said that the majority of employees who were laid off during the Pandemic had returned. The company's CFO said on the earnings call that labor availability had improved each month.
