Editor’s Letter

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The future is now.

Do you often wonder whether technology is bringing us closer together or further apart? Whether it is actually making humans more intelligent or making machines and bots more powerful?

In times when the unemployment rate is at its lowest and employees’ expectations are rising, technology can be a real differentiator ­— if used the right way. Technology should be an enabler and enhance the workplace experience, not just for office workers, but for front-line workers as well, from retail store associates to factory operators. Research has shown that the opportunity to learn and grow is the number one driver of an employee’s loyalty to a company, yet the ability to measure growth and its impact remains a challenge as leaders struggle to get a grasp on human performance. Simply put: The way we prepare today’s workforce is outdated. It’s time to reinvent performance.

The good news is that we don’t need to wait for the future of work to solve this challenge.

There is a movement happening. We are seeing firsthand a growing community of leaders pave the way for massive transformation across their organizations. It’s a new approach to learning focused on employee engagement and performance. And let’s face it, performance is every leader’s responsibility.

These leaders have taken on the challenge and are creating new experiences for their employees, from hiring to onboarding, training, and upskilling. They are bringing virtual experiences to the workplace, creating opportunities to learn a skill before ever stepping foot into the role. It’s called Immersive Learning, and when delivered through Virtual Reality, it’s a game-changer.

In 2019, over 1 million employees have trained in Immersive Learning programs, with nearly all feeling more engaged, more confident, more empathetic, and better prepared to perform at their best. Further, the unique data collected from VR-based training has provided insights traditional learning methods never have, including attention metrics indicating levels of engagement and potential on-the-job performance. Human performance is now measurable.

With Rise Mag, we are now sharing these stories, their impact, and the vision of thought leaders across the industry. We hope you’re inspired to join the movement and take part in revolutionizing the future of learning.

Veronique Lafargue
Editor-in-chief
Vice President Marketing, Strivr