‘It kickstarts conversations’: the VR tool that makes diversity and inclusion training a ‘lived experience’

In My Shoes gives PwC staff an immersive experience from the perspective of people from minority backgrounds Photograph: N/A

Picture this: you’re well prepared for a client pitch – if it goes well, it could lead to a promotion. But on the way in, a receptionist mistakes you for a security guard. You feel left out, and your expertise overlooked. Clients automatically defer to your colleague, who is white, even though you are the specialist within the team. Or you force yourself to go to the pub with your team, because that’s where the best networking happens, even though you don’t like drinking and you can’t join in with the ski chat.

Before you open your mouth, you mentally remind yourself that you must sound “approachable, likable, relatable”. You still don’t seem to belong to the “in” crowd. A less talented team member – white, male – gets the promotion. You’ve been passed over.