Companies are struggling with record employee turnover as the anti-work movement picks up steam. Customer service industries have been hardest hit by the H1N1 flu, with many workers saying no thank you to the idea of handling Karens day in and day out. MGM Resorts plans to use virtual reality to let applicants try out roles before making a decision.
In an interview with the outlet, Laura Lee, MGM Resorts' chief human resources officer, said that the company would be using virtual reality headsets for customer-service roles at its employment centers. Job seekers could have the option of doing front-of-house jobs like operating casino games and checking guests into hotels during the hiring process. Lee said that the company is considering incorporating the technology at career fairs. It developed the module with a company called Strivr, which has partners like Walmart and Verizon.
MGM Resorts has a workforce of over 83,000 employees in its casinos in Las Vegas and around the world. Lee said that the company used day-in-the-life videos and Q&As with current employees to help give applicants a sense of what the job entails, but those have inherent limitations.
She told Insider that virtual reality allows applicants to really experience the job, and that it can be very difficult to simply show a video.
The role has less rosy aspects. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers in customer-facing roles are quitting at higher rates than other industries. According to surveys, rude customers are a key reason why more and more workers are walking out.
MGM Resorts will cover difficult guest interactions in its virtual reality module. She told Insider that she expected some candidates to decide the role wasn't for them after trying it out. She speculated that if MGM Resorts had used virtual reality as part of its hiring process, it might have resolved some turnover we experienced when people accepted positions and then realized it wasn't quite what they thought it would be.
MGM Resorts has struggled with understaffing, but the company's chief financial officer said in a recent earnings call that labor availability has been improving each month. The US is short more than 200,000 retail jobs ahead of the holiday season according to the Labor Department.
