Another news that is trending in the HR industry is the latest virtual character- Barry. His sole purpose is to listen patiently, then protest or sob a little as you fire him from an imaginary job in virtual reality. Keep reading to find out more about this virtual character and why we need him.

How did Barry come to life?

Talespin, a company based in Los Angeles, California, works on creating transformative XR business solutions that define the Future of Work. All of their virtual characters are designed to improve employee learning and engagement, empower distributed workforces, and provide enhanced clarity to workforce insights. Keeping this aim in mind, Barry was created, a character to help you enhance your firing skills.

VR character Barry used to practice employee firing | iTMunch

What does Barry do?

The CEO mentioned that when any user interacts with Barry in the simulation, they are bound to navigate hundreds of possible conversation paths to effectively (or ineffectively) get rid of Barry. Along with this, they will face wrongful termination pitfalls. While doing this, they will experience Barry’s realistic speech, body language, and human-like mannerisms. Human-like emotions mainly include sobbing, yelling, and more. Basically, Barry can mimic everything a human is expected to do during the firing process.

Why do we need this VR character?

Kyle Jackson, the CEO, said that companies are interested in investing in solutions which can train their employees through VR. Using virtual reality, HR specialists can work on their soft skills such as leadership, empathy and communication. Plus, learn how to interview applicants and conduct performance reviews effectively.

How to use Barry to practise firing?

To talk to this VR character, trainees will be given a VR headset to enter an office environment. Here, Barry will play the role of an employee getting terminated. Once the headset is on, trainees can interact with Barry and converse with him about the firing process. While doing this, he will respond to the trainee with emotions a human being would naturally show in such situations.

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Talespin concluded that with VR characters, they aim to help people become “better managers, colleagues, and communicators.” To learn more about this Barry and similar VR characters, click here.

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