At Sharethrough, we do our best to try and stay up to date on the latest technologies. From exploring green media products, to the latest and greatest softwares, we’re dedicated to staying at the forefront of technology.
Virtual reality has been around for some time now, and while the technology is still foreign to some, there are plenty of people utilizing it to build products, and finding new and unique ways to collaborate. In fact, virtual reality used within businesses is forecasted to grow by 500% in 2023.
Last summer, we decided to test out virtual reality in the form of monthly meetings. Sharethrough employees interested in VR were given the opportunity to meet in the Metaverse to work, collaborate and socialize. After testing VR meetings for a few months, here’s why we don't think it’s ready… yet. Continue reading to find out what Sharethrough employees thought were the biggest advantages and disadvantages of VR platforms, as well as what they envision the virtual workspaces of the future might look like.
What is Virtual Reality in the Workplace?
Virtual Reality, also commonly referred to as “VR '' is a form of technology that uses computer software and hardware in order to create a simulated environment. Chances are you’ve seen people wearing big bulky spaceship looking headsets talking or reacting to something or someone that only they can see. That’s Virtual Reality. And it’s implications for the workplace, especially with work from home becoming a norm,...
The Advantages & Disadvantages of VR Meetings
Advantages
1. Cutting Edge Technology
Virtual Reality offers users a new way to interact and engage with each other. For Sharethrough employees, VR offered us new and innovative ways to collaborate and work together on projects. Michael Foster, Director, Product Management offers his thoughts on how Virtual Reality offered engaging methods of collaboration: “Screen sharing, drawing workflows, and system diagrams on whiteboards worked great. While it wasn’t as intuitive as being in person and writing on a real whiteboard, it was much more natural than using an app like Miro for whiteboarding.”
2. No Travel Necessary: Bridging the Gap Between Employees
With Virtual reality, users can interact visually and verbally with others in what feels like the same room. This gives users the impression, both emotionally and cognitively, that they are in the same space as their collaborators. By using this third dimension to meet with colleagues, the emotional and cognitive connection with colleagues seems so much more real and energizing compared to a Zoom call. When Mark Siebert, Manager of Engineering was asked about the advantages of VR meetings, he said: “It was great to feel like you were in the same space as coworkers without having to travel to each other.”
Disadvantages
1. Uncomfortable & Unreliable
While the virtual reality experience can be a super cool and fascinating one, it requires you to jump through a few hoops, and put up with some discomfort along the way. VR headsets are notorious for being clunky and uncomfortable. Mark Siebert, Manager of Engineering noted that “It was uncomfortable to wear headsets for long periods of time, making it difficult to engage frequently in virtual reality environments.” Updating your VR devices was also a frequent pain point that Sharethrough employees experienced. Frank Maguire, VP Insights & Strategy elaborates: “The software, whether it’s workrooms or not, also needs to improve. The current state is buggy and sometimes it takes up to 20 minutes just to get into your workroom, properly connect your screen, computer and controls.” Juan Martinez, Product Manager added “Until the devices get less intrusive, I feel like the impact will be limited. I see it taking off if logging ‘in’ and ‘out’ stops being such a cumbersome process.”
2. Spending Time Off-Screen Still Reigns
Sharethrough employees tested out Virtual Reality workspaces for a few months, but the idea slowly fizzled out over time. One of the main reasons for this is that employees felt that they’d rather spend any optional workspace sessions outside, not enveloped in the cyber world. When asked about why Sharethrough stopped doing VR meetings, Patrice Marin, SVP Partnerships answered: “As a workforce, we're already immersed into tons of emails and virtual tools, and spending a very long time connected. For a lot of us, we're in need of a disconnect and VR still feels like going against that.”
Predicting the Virtual Reality Workplaces of the Future
While virtual reality may not currently have a designated seat at the workplace table, it’s only a matter of time before it works its way into meetings, brainstorming sessions… and so much more. We asked Sharethrough Employees about what the workplace of the future might look like. Frank Maguire, VP Insights & Strategy sees virtual reality workspaces integrations as inevitable: “I think there is definitely a future where workdays for remote/work-from-home employees will change from hopping on and off Zoom calls to sitting in a virtual office with colleagues where they can easily turn to the person next to them and ask questions instead of Slacking and waiting for a reply or needing to schedule a specific time on the calendar.”
Patrice Marin, SVP Partnerships talked about his vision of what the workplace of the future could look like: “VR meetings could be held at less frequent intervals than regular weekly meetings, perhaps monthly and or even just quarterly. VR meetings could also give remote workers an opportunity to meet “in person” in situations where it may not be justifiable to fly everyone to one location for in person meetings. We all understand the importance of meeting with other people face-to-face, so a VR experience could be a potential solution for those living far away. VR meetings could take things further than a simple Zoom meeting or happy hour.”
Sharethrough employees hope to revisit virtual reality workspaces in the future. Josh Becker, Senior Manager of Engineering sums it up well: “The software for the virtual office has promising potential, but it is still not completely ready for a meaningful trial. I do hope that we re-explore and re-start the trials at a later date.”
Interested in working in an exciting company environment, want to learn more about Sharethrough’s company culture, or curious about our open job opportunities? Make sure to reach out to us, we’d love to hear from you!
At Sharethrough, we do our best to try and stay up to date on the latest technologies. From exploring green media products, to the latest and greatest softwares, we’re dedicated to staying at the forefront of technology.
Virtual reality has been around for some time now, and while the technology is still foreign to some, there are plenty of people utilizing it to build products, and finding new and unique ways to collaborate. In fact, virtual reality used within businesses is forecasted to grow by 500% in 2023.
Last summer, we decided to test out virtual reality in the form of monthly meetings. Sharethrough employees interested in VR were given the opportunity to meet in the Metaverse to work, collaborate and socialize. After testing VR meetings for a few months, here’s why we don't think it’s ready… yet. Continue reading to find out what Sharethrough employees thought were the biggest advantages and disadvantages of VR platforms, as well as what they envision the virtual workspaces of the future might look like.
What is Virtual Reality in the Workplace?
Virtual Reality, also commonly referred to as “VR '' is a form of technology that uses computer software and hardware in order to create a simulated environment. Chances are you’ve seen people wearing big bulky spaceship looking headsets talking or reacting to something or someone that only they can see. That’s Virtual Reality. And it’s implications for the workplace, especially with work from home becoming a norm,...
The Advantages & Disadvantages of VR Meetings
Advantages
1. Cutting Edge Technology
Virtual Reality offers users a new way to interact and engage with each other. For Sharethrough employees, VR offered us new and innovative ways to collaborate and work together on projects. Michael Foster, Director, Product Management offers his thoughts on how Virtual Reality offered engaging methods of collaboration: “Screen sharing, drawing workflows, and system diagrams on whiteboards worked great. While it wasn’t as intuitive as being in person and writing on a real whiteboard, it was much more natural than using an app like Miro for whiteboarding.”
2. No Travel Necessary: Bridging the Gap Between Employees
With Virtual reality, users can interact visually and verbally with others in what feels like the same room. This gives users the impression, both emotionally and cognitively, that they are in the same space as their collaborators. By using this third dimension to meet with colleagues, the emotional and cognitive connection with colleagues seems so much more real and energizing compared to a Zoom call. When Mark Siebert, Manager of Engineering was asked about the advantages of VR meetings, he said: “It was great to feel like you were in the same space as coworkers without having to travel to each other.”
Disadvantages
1. Uncomfortable & Unreliable
While the virtual reality experience can be a super cool and fascinating one, it requires you to jump through a few hoops, and put up with some discomfort along the way. VR headsets are notorious for being clunky and uncomfortable. Mark Siebert, Manager of Engineering noted that “It was uncomfortable to wear headsets for long periods of time, making it difficult to engage frequently in virtual reality environments.” Updating your VR devices was also a frequent pain point that Sharethrough employees experienced. Frank Maguire, VP Insights & Strategy elaborates: “The software, whether it’s workrooms or not, also needs to improve. The current state is buggy and sometimes it takes up to 20 minutes just to get into your workroom, properly connect your screen, computer and controls.” Juan Martinez, Product Manager added “Until the devices get less intrusive, I feel like the impact will be limited. I see it taking off if logging ‘in’ and ‘out’ stops being such a cumbersome process.”
2. Spending Time Off-Screen Still Reigns
Sharethrough employees tested out Virtual Reality workspaces for a few months, but the idea slowly fizzled out over time. One of the main reasons for this is that employees felt that they’d rather spend any optional workspace sessions outside, not enveloped in the cyber world. When asked about why Sharethrough stopped doing VR meetings, Patrice Marin, SVP Partnerships answered: “As a workforce, we're already immersed into tons of emails and virtual tools, and spending a very long time connected. For a lot of us, we're in need of a disconnect and VR still feels like going against that.”
Predicting the Virtual Reality Workplaces of the Future
While virtual reality may not currently have a designated seat at the workplace table, it’s only a matter of time before it works its way into meetings, brainstorming sessions… and so much more. We asked Sharethrough Employees about what the workplace of the future might look like. Frank Maguire, VP Insights & Strategy sees virtual reality workspaces integrations as inevitable: “I think there is definitely a future where workdays for remote/work-from-home employees will change from hopping on and off Zoom calls to sitting in a virtual office with colleagues where they can easily turn to the person next to them and ask questions instead of Slacking and waiting for a reply or needing to schedule a specific time on the calendar.”
Patrice Marin, SVP Partnerships talked about his vision of what the workplace of the future could look like: “VR meetings could be held at less frequent intervals than regular weekly meetings, perhaps monthly and or even just quarterly. VR meetings could also give remote workers an opportunity to meet “in person” in situations where it may not be justifiable to fly everyone to one location for in person meetings. We all understand the importance of meeting with other people face-to-face, so a VR experience could be a potential solution for those living far away. VR meetings could take things further than a simple Zoom meeting or happy hour.”
Sharethrough employees hope to revisit virtual reality workspaces in the future. Josh Becker, Senior Manager of Engineering sums it up well: “The software for the virtual office has promising potential, but it is still not completely ready for a meaningful trial. I do hope that we re-explore and re-start the trials at a later date.”
Interested in working in an exciting company environment, want to learn more about Sharethrough’s company culture, or curious about our open job opportunities? Make sure to reach out to us, we’d love to hear from you!
Behind Headlines: 180 Seconds in Ad Tech is a short 3-minute podcast exploring the news in the digital advertising industry. Ad tech is a fast-growing industry with many updates happening daily. As it can be hard for most to keep up with the latest news, the Sharethrough team wanted to create an audio series compiling notable mentions each week.
At Sharethrough, we do our best to try and stay up to date on the latest technologies. From exploring green media products, to the latest and greatest softwares, we’re dedicated to staying at the forefront of technology.
Virtual reality has been around for some time now, and while the technology is still foreign to some, there are plenty of people utilizing it to build products, and finding new and unique ways to collaborate. In fact, virtual reality used within businesses is forecasted to grow by 500% in 2023.
Last summer, we decided to test out virtual reality in the form of monthly meetings. Sharethrough employees interested in VR were given the opportunity to meet in the Metaverse to work, collaborate and socialize. After testing VR meetings for a few months, here’s why we don't think it’s ready… yet. Continue reading to find out what Sharethrough employees thought were the biggest advantages and disadvantages of VR platforms, as well as what they envision the virtual workspaces of the future might look like.
What is Virtual Reality in the Workplace?
Virtual Reality, also commonly referred to as “VR '' is a form of technology that uses computer software and hardware in order to create a simulated environment. Chances are you’ve seen people wearing big bulky spaceship looking headsets talking or reacting to something or someone that only they can see. That’s Virtual Reality. And it’s implications for the workplace, especially with work from home becoming a norm,...
The Advantages & Disadvantages of VR Meetings
Advantages
1. Cutting Edge Technology
Virtual Reality offers users a new way to interact and engage with each other. For Sharethrough employees, VR offered us new and innovative ways to collaborate and work together on projects. Michael Foster, Director, Product Management offers his thoughts on how Virtual Reality offered engaging methods of collaboration: “Screen sharing, drawing workflows, and system diagrams on whiteboards worked great. While it wasn’t as intuitive as being in person and writing on a real whiteboard, it was much more natural than using an app like Miro for whiteboarding.”
2. No Travel Necessary: Bridging the Gap Between Employees
With Virtual reality, users can interact visually and verbally with others in what feels like the same room. This gives users the impression, both emotionally and cognitively, that they are in the same space as their collaborators. By using this third dimension to meet with colleagues, the emotional and cognitive connection with colleagues seems so much more real and energizing compared to a Zoom call. When Mark Siebert, Manager of Engineering was asked about the advantages of VR meetings, he said: “It was great to feel like you were in the same space as coworkers without having to travel to each other.”
Disadvantages
1. Uncomfortable & Unreliable
While the virtual reality experience can be a super cool and fascinating one, it requires you to jump through a few hoops, and put up with some discomfort along the way. VR headsets are notorious for being clunky and uncomfortable. Mark Siebert, Manager of Engineering noted that “It was uncomfortable to wear headsets for long periods of time, making it difficult to engage frequently in virtual reality environments.” Updating your VR devices was also a frequent pain point that Sharethrough employees experienced. Frank Maguire, VP Insights & Strategy elaborates: “The software, whether it’s workrooms or not, also needs to improve. The current state is buggy and sometimes it takes up to 20 minutes just to get into your workroom, properly connect your screen, computer and controls.” Juan Martinez, Product Manager added “Until the devices get less intrusive, I feel like the impact will be limited. I see it taking off if logging ‘in’ and ‘out’ stops being such a cumbersome process.”
2. Spending Time Off-Screen Still Reigns
Sharethrough employees tested out Virtual Reality workspaces for a few months, but the idea slowly fizzled out over time. One of the main reasons for this is that employees felt that they’d rather spend any optional workspace sessions outside, not enveloped in the cyber world. When asked about why Sharethrough stopped doing VR meetings, Patrice Marin, SVP Partnerships answered: “As a workforce, we're already immersed into tons of emails and virtual tools, and spending a very long time connected. For a lot of us, we're in need of a disconnect and VR still feels like going against that.”
Predicting the Virtual Reality Workplaces of the Future
While virtual reality may not currently have a designated seat at the workplace table, it’s only a matter of time before it works its way into meetings, brainstorming sessions… and so much more. We asked Sharethrough Employees about what the workplace of the future might look like. Frank Maguire, VP Insights & Strategy sees virtual reality workspaces integrations as inevitable: “I think there is definitely a future where workdays for remote/work-from-home employees will change from hopping on and off Zoom calls to sitting in a virtual office with colleagues where they can easily turn to the person next to them and ask questions instead of Slacking and waiting for a reply or needing to schedule a specific time on the calendar.”
Patrice Marin, SVP Partnerships talked about his vision of what the workplace of the future could look like: “VR meetings could be held at less frequent intervals than regular weekly meetings, perhaps monthly and or even just quarterly. VR meetings could also give remote workers an opportunity to meet “in person” in situations where it may not be justifiable to fly everyone to one location for in person meetings. We all understand the importance of meeting with other people face-to-face, so a VR experience could be a potential solution for those living far away. VR meetings could take things further than a simple Zoom meeting or happy hour.”
Sharethrough employees hope to revisit virtual reality workspaces in the future. Josh Becker, Senior Manager of Engineering sums it up well: “The software for the virtual office has promising potential, but it is still not completely ready for a meaningful trial. I do hope that we re-explore and re-start the trials at a later date.”
Interested in working in an exciting company environment, want to learn more about Sharethrough’s company culture, or curious about our open job opportunities? Make sure to reach out to us, we’d love to hear from you!
Founded in 2015, Calibrate is a yearly conference for new engineering managers hosted by seasoned engineering managers. The experience level of the speakers ranges from newcomers all the way through senior engineering leaders with over twenty years of experience in the field. Each speaker is greatly concerned about the craft of engineering management. Organized and hosted by Sharethrough, it was conducted yearly in September, from 2015-2019 in San Francisco, California.
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