Walmart uses virtual reality to test new store managers

Walmart Inc, the country’s largest private employer, is using virtual reality headsets to test which employees have the aptitude for middle management positions.

The VR headsets place Walmart associates in real-life situations — like calming an angry shopper or giving new employees a store tour — that test knowledge of store departments, decision-making, leadership capacities and soft skills to place employees in the best-fitting job, says Drew Holler, Walmart’s senior vice president for associate experience.