CPS HR Consulting issued the following announcement on Feb. 11.

At its annual talent management conference, CPS HR Consulting awarded its $20,000 Talent Management Grant to the City of Memphis, Tennessee, to support its efforts to explore virtual and augmented reality as high-fidelity workplace civility and communication tools in local government.

“We’re hoping a new training method will help increase knowledge transfer and learning retention, specifically when it comes to topics like workplace behavior and culture,” said Brandon A. Johnson, organizational development manager, City of Memphis. “With the grant from CPS HR Consulting, we’ll be able conduct a two-part study on both workplace and field-based training to do just that.”

In order to start this project, the City of Memphis had to first ensure a safe, inclusive and harassment-free workplace and thus conducted a survey in 2018. The survey showed that more than 60 percent of employees felt that their individual differences were respected and that they could report a rule violation without fear of retaliation. Additionally, 40 percent reported feeling safe to challenge the way things are done in their organization.

“The City of Memphis has seen positive feedback on the topic of workplace civility,” said Jerry Greenwell, CEO, CPS HR. “We look forward to seeing how this new project will continue this momentum toward positive workplace culture and training practices.”

While virtual reality training and simulations have been utilized by other fields, this project will explore the immersive training tactic in a new sector. The project can later serve as a pilot for virtual reality training and provide a framework for any future implementations in similar government entities.

“Our number one goal is to attract and retain talent for the City of Memphis. The grant from CPS HR will aid us in using innovative technology to help meet our talent goals and lead the way for other agencies to explore how to use technology to train and develop employees,” said Alex Smith, chief human resources officer, City of Memphis.

The program is slated to run from July 7, 2019 through December 31, 2019.

Original source can be found here.