Living and working in a parallel universe may sound futuristic but, in all actuality, it isn’t far from becoming our reality. Technology has often proven to be a disruptor and change the way we live our day to day to lives – whether it be the invention of smartphones or simple automation of work processes the way we live, and work has evolved. Yet again innovations like AI and Metaverse are here to reshape the way we live and work. Researchers predict that by 2026, one in four people will spend at least an hour a day in a Metaverse for work, shopping, education, socialising, or entertainment. Estimates of the value of the Metaverse market globally over the next 15 years range between €10 and €30 trillion, underlining the huge potential of the new platform.
This article is an attempt to understand the complex working of the Metaverse and find practical case-by-case use of it by HR professionals to optimise talent management. KINDLY NOTE: Although the content is geared toward HR professionals, it can easily be applied to leaders and employers.
“Coffee Morning episode is episode 11 metaverse for HR success, so we’re going to put our little spin to this.” – Sam Ingram, CEO
“Yes- although it’s generally geared towards high job professional, just any kind of management leadership, business, however big or small I think will be affected, it’ll affect everything.” – Robbie Blake, Senior Consultant
So, we begin with understanding what Metaverse is and its relevance to businesses:
Metaverse is a collective virtual shared space that’s created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical reality and physically persistent virtual reality. Wunderman Thomson report on New Realities: Into the Metaverse and Beyond states: Close to nine in 10 (85%) respondents surveyed in the US, UK, and China for the report said employment and work — for instance (meetings, collaboration, in-person work, and conferences) will be impacted by the Metaverse. Highlight its potential to revolutionise various fields, including HR.
Another study by Regus found that two-thirds (66%) of business leaders are already seeing the Metaverse as the natural progression for the future of work. This suggests that the adoption of the Metaverse in HR is not just a possibility, but an expectation.
Shift in the way we work
The COVID-19 pandemic has catalysed a shift in the way we work, with more companies than ever before offering remote or hybrid work options. While this shift has many benefits, such as flexibility and reduced commute times, it also presents unique challenges for HR professionals. These challenges include maintaining team cohesion, ensuring effective communication, fostering a strong company culture and managing employee well-being from a distance.
Metaverse could, be the answer to these modern workplace problems: For instance, the Metaverse could provide a shared virtual space where remote teams can interact and collaborate, mimicking the social dynamics of a physical office. It could also offer new ways to onboard and train employees, conduct performance evaluations, and even enhance employee engagement and well-being. The Metaverse has the potential to revolutionise HR processes, making them more immersive, interactive, and effective. This is just a handful of benefits Metaverse can deliver – the possibilities are endless.
Also, addressing the talent shortage is indeed a pressing issue in many industries and regions worldwide. By leveraging the potential of the Metaverse for talent sourcing and management, companies can tap into a larger pool of candidates, streamline recruitment processes, and improve the overall efficiency of talent acquisition.
“I tell you what, where it does would really help to bridge the skill gap. In the UK particularly, we’ve got such a shortage of talent. There are not enough experienced people to work but there are still another 7 to 8 billion people on this planet. So, something like the Metaverse could localise a lot of this. And also, you can see at the minute a lot of this AI that can transcribe what you’re saying automatically from Dutch to English to English to Chinese. May be so you almost don’t have to worry about language anymore, so you could be in this virtual kind of world, and you could onboard people and look at talent completely differently; as a ‘global marketplace’ and you don’t have to be worried about language anymore.” – Sam Ingram, CEO
Sam and Robbie have dived deep into this futuristic topic in our recently released Coffee Mornings episode. They talk about various possibilities for using this technology to optimise the business and talent management process. Watch the Coffee Mornings episode below or if you’d prefer to read continue to scroll down for a detailed outlay of the discussion.
Ways Metaverse can prove to be a game-changer
1. Use for virtual recruitment and on-boarding
HR departments can utilise the Metaverse to host virtual job fairs, career expos, and recruitment events. They can create virtual environments where potential candidates can interact with company representatives, learn about the organisation, and even participate in virtual interviews. Similarly, onboarding processes can be conducted in immersive virtual environments, allowing new employees to familiarise themselves with the company culture, policies, and training.
The challenges that HR professionals often face when onboarding remote workers. In a traditional office setting, new employees can physically meet their colleagues, get a feel for the office environment, and quickly immerse themselves in the company culture. However, in a remote work setup, the onboarding process can often feel impersonal and detached. New hires might only interact with their colleagues through emails or video calls, which can make it difficult for them to feel connected to the team. Additionally, assessing a candidate’s fit with the company culture can be challenging in a remote context, as they don’t get to experience the culture firsthand.
Metaverse can provide a solution to these challenges by offering a more personal and immersive onboarding experience. In the Metaverse, HR departments can create virtual office spaces that mimic the physical office environment. New hires can explore these spaces, interact with their colleagues in a more natural and engaging way, and get a feel for the company culture, all from the comfort of their own homes. This can help new employees feel more connected to the company from the outset, enhancing their overall onboarding experience.
These virtual office spaces create a ‘face-to-face’ atmosphere during the recruitment and induction periods. In these spaces, interviews, orientation sessions, and training programs can be conducted in a way that feels more personal and engaging than traditional video calls. This can help HR professionals better assess a candidate’s fit with the company culture, and it can help new hires build stronger relationships with their colleagues from the start.
2. Host virtual training and simulations
The Metaverse can serve as a platform for delivering immersive and interactive training programs. HR departments can design virtual classrooms or simulations that allow employees to learn new skills, undergo compliance training, or experience realistic scenarios. Virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) technologies can enhance the training experience, making it more engaging and effective.
Behavioural training often involves role-playing exercises or simulations that allow employees to practice and develop key skills in a controlled environment. In a physical setting, these exercises can be logistically challenging and time-consuming. However, in the Metaverse, these exercises can be conducted virtually, allowing for more flexibility and scalability. Employees can participate in these exercises from anywhere, at any time, making training more accessible.
“I believe that when considering recruitment, onboarding, and an HR perspective, it would be beneficial to explore how virtual simulations can enhance these processes. For instance, during onboarding, instead of going through physical documents or exploring the office physically to know where everything is located, virtual simulations can be utilized. Through 360 view cameras and interactive elements, newcomers can virtually explore the office layout, locating fire escapes, the kitchen, and other facilities. This way, when they physically arrive, they already have a sense of familiarity and feel like they’ve been there before. This approach has been seen in some older video games, where users click through virtual environments to familiarize themselves with the surroundings. Embracing such technology can improve the onboarding experience and streamline HR practices.” – Sam Ingram, CEO
Traditional training methods, such as lectures or webinars, can often be passive and one-dimensional. However, the Metaverse offers a more immersive and interactive learning experience. This can lead to better engagement, improved knowledge retention, and more effective skill development. For instance, a company could use the Metaverse to train employees on new software by allowing them to use the software in a virtual environment. This hands-on experience can help employees learn more effectively compared to simply watching a tutorial or reading a manual.
3. Virtual collaboration and communication
The Metaverse can facilitate global collaboration and communication among remote or distributed teams. HR departments can create virtual workspaces where employees can interact, brainstorm ideas, and collaborate on projects in a shared virtual environment. This can help bridge the gap between physical locations and promote teamwork and innovation.
In today’s globalised world, teams often span across different time zones and geographical locations. While technology has made remote work possible, it can still be challenging to foster a sense of collaboration and unity among distributed teams. The Metaverse, with its immersive and interactive capabilities, can offer a shared space where teams can come together, regardless of their physical location.
HR departments can create virtual workspaces within the Metaverse where employees can interact, brainstorm ideas, and collaborate on projects. These virtual workspaces can mimic the dynamics of a physical office, with virtual meeting rooms, breakout areas, and even social spaces. Employees can use avatars to move around these spaces, engage in conversations, and collaborate on tasks in real-time. This can make remote collaboration more engaging and natural, helping to foster stronger team relationships.
Furthermore, Metaverse can aid in bridging the gap between physical locations and promoting teamwork and innovation. The Metaverse can provide a ‘sense of presence’ that is often missing in standard video calls or online meetings. This can help to create a more cohesive team culture and promote a sense of belonging among remote employees. Furthermore, the interactive nature of the Metaverse can stimulate creativity and innovation, as employees can collaborate in new ways and explore ideas in a three-dimensional virtual environment.
4. Employee engagement and well-being
The Metaverse can provide opportunities for employee engagement activities and well-being initiatives. HR departments can organise virtual social events, team-building activities, or wellness programs within the Metaverse. This can help foster a sense of community, boost morale, and promote work-life balance.
For instance, HR could organise a virtual team-building exercise where employees work together to solve puzzles or complete tasks in a virtual environment. This can help to foster teamwork, improve communication, and boost morale. Similarly, HR could organise wellness programs such as virtual yoga classes or meditation sessions, helping employees to relax and manage stress.
The potential of the Metaverse to foster a sense of community, boost morale, and promote work-life balance is obvious and immense. The Metaverse can provide a shared space where employees can socialise, collaborate, and feel part of a community, even if they are working remotely. This can help to foster a strong company culture and boost morale. Furthermore, by providing opportunities for relaxation and stress management within the Metaverse, companies can help employees to maintain a healthy work-life balance, which is crucial for their well-being and productivity.
5. Performance evaluation and feedback
The Metaverse can be leveraged for conducting performance evaluations and providing feedback to employees. HR departments can design virtual environments that simulate real-life work scenarios, allowing supervisors to observe and assess employee performance. This can provide more objective evaluations and facilitate constructive feedback discussions.
Metaverse can be leveraged for conducting performance evaluations and providing feedback to employees. Performance evaluations are a crucial part of HR management, helping to assess an employee’s skills, productivity, and contribution to the company. However, in a remote work setup, conducting effective performance evaluations can be challenging. The Metaverse can offer innovative solutions to this challenge, providing a more interactive and immersive platform for performance evaluations.
Robbie and Sam discuss the practical potential of this theory:
“So you think about performance and hiring and education or whatever. You could almost like run it like a game.” – Sam Ingram, CEO
“Like, yeah, you go to the quest giver as your manager. I need you to complete a PowerPoint presentation and if you do it, you get loads of XP and if you get enough XP, I’ll give you a promotion and a pay rise.” – Robbie Blake, Senior Consultant
HR departments can design virtual environments within the Metaverse that simulate real-life work scenarios. For instance, a company could create a virtual customer service scenario where employees interact with AI-powered customers. Supervisors can observe these interactions and assess the employee’s customer service skills, problem-solving abilities, and overall performance. This can provide a more objective and comprehensive evaluation of an employee’s skills and performance.
Furthermore, the Metaverse can also provide a more engaging and interactive platform for providing feedback to employees. Instead of a standard video call or email, supervisors can meet with employees in a virtual environment to discuss their performance, provide constructive feedback, and discuss development opportunities. This can make the feedback process more personal and effective, helping employees to better understand and accept the feedback.
6. Employee recognition and rewards
The Metaverse can be used to recognise and reward employee achievements. HR departments can create virtual ceremonies, celebrations, or rewards systems to acknowledge and appreciate employee contributions. These virtual experiences can be customised and personalised, making them memorable and meaningful.
Recognition and rewards are crucial for maintaining employee motivation, satisfaction, and engagement. When employees feel that their hard work and contributions are recognised and appreciated, they are more likely to be committed to their work and perform better. However, in a remote work setup, recognising and rewarding employees can be challenging. The Metaverse can offer innovative solutions to this challenge, providing a more engaging and memorable platform for recognition and rewards.
HR departments can create virtual ceremonies, celebrations, or rewards systems within the Metaverse to acknowledge and appreciate employee contributions. For instance, a company could host a virtual awards ceremony in the Metaverse, where employees receive virtual trophies or badges for their achievements. This can make the recognition more tangible and memorable, enhancing its impact.
Furthermore, HR could create a virtual celebration after the completion of a major project, where team members can come together to celebrate their success. This can help to foster a sense of community and boost morale.
HR could also implement a rewards system within the Metaverse, where employees earn points or virtual rewards for their achievements. These rewards could be exchanged for real-world benefits, such as a day off, a gift card, or a donation to a charity of their choice. This can provide a fun and engaging way to motivate employees and reward their hard work.
Potential Resistance and Fear
But this blog isn’t complete without discussing the flip side of adopting Metaverse in HR and business processes. We need to accept that Metaverse is still very much at its infancy stage and there is a lot of grey lines that needs to be explored.
At the top of list is Concerns about Data privacy. A study by ExpressVPN found that 63% of employees are worried about being monitored in the Metaverse. This highlights the need for HR to address privacy concerns when implementing Metaverse technologies. Begin by acknowledging that while the Metaverse offers many exciting opportunities for HR, it also raises valid concerns and potential resistance among employees. One of the main concerns is around data privacy. In the Metaverse, employees’ interactions, movements, and even facial expressions could potentially be tracked and recorded. This could lead to a feeling of constant monitoring or invasion of privacy, which could cause discomfort and resistance among employees.
Another concern is the potential misuse of personal data. As the Metaverse is a digital environment, it could be susceptible to data breaches or hacking, which could put employees’ personal data at risk. This could lead to concerns about identity theft or misuse of personal information.
A further privacy concern is the use of personal data by companies to retarget and sell to people:
“So, it’s like we live in this world just to be sold to and now you want to put it in a virtual world to be sold to all the time.” – Sam Ingram, CEO
To address these concerns, it’s crucial for companies to provide clarity on their data privacy policies. Companies should clearly communicate what data will be collected in the Metaverse, how it will be used, and how it will be protected. And Metaverse should have clear guidelines on data storing and usage disclosed upfront to the users. Companies must ensure their employees’ personal data are protected at all times. This can help to alleviate concerns about data privacy and misuse.
Companies should also be transparent about their monitoring practices. If companies plan to use the Metaverse for performance evaluations, they should clearly communicate this to employees and explain how the data will be used. Employees should have the right to opt-out of certain types of monitoring if they are uncomfortable with it.
Finally, companies should give employees control over their own data. This could include allowing employees to choose what data they share, who they share it with, and how it is used. This can help to empower employees and give them a sense of control over their own data. By addressing these concerns proactively and transparently, companies can help to alleviate potential resistance and foster a sense of trust and comfort among employees as they navigate the new world of the Metaverse.
Sam & Robbie are also concerned that a shift of workplace to the Metaverse could mean higher rates of burnout as we saw post-Covid. Sam, has a simple yet effective solution to handling the work life balance:
“I think it’s just about having healthy boundaries, but it’s just understanding what that means. And I think employees have to do a better job in terms of understanding where you should be on and where you need to rest by it. And equally as a human, as an employee, stop worrying so much and just be good to yourself.” – Sam Ingram, CEO
Takeaway
The Metaverse is not a distant dream; it is rapidly becoming an integral part of our reality. As technology continues to evolve, HR professionals must embrace this transformative platform to optimise talent management, employee engagement, and overall workplace dynamics. From virtual recruitment and onboarding to hosting immersive training and team-building experiences, the Metaverse offers limitless possibilities for enhancing HR practices.
Metaverse also holds the potential of removing any DEI issues that businesses today are challenged with.
“From a D&I perspective, you know one could remove almost any kind of bias. So, you have an avatar and it’s obviously got your voice, but if you just said everyone’s got the same avatar, same voice, you don’t know who that person is behind that avatar, it would remove any kind of sexism or any other kind of diversity, equity and inclusion issues.” – Robbie Blake, Senior Consultant
Sam, although is concerned that people might then start to lose the human connection and might have to deal with managing two different personas one real and the other virtual.
“I just wonder how much damage this would do to your mental well-being in terms of like you now have two personas; you have your real life and then you have your virtual life.” – Sam Ingram, CEO
Sam and Robbie are interested in how this is handled by both employers and employees. However, as Sam suggested, it is individuals’ responsibility to draw boundaries and draw a line.
While the potential of the Metaverse is undeniable, it’s crucial to address data privacy concerns and potential resistance among employees proactively. By establishing transparent policies and empowering employees with control over their data, companies can build trust and foster a sense of comfort as they embark on this new frontier.
The future of work is intertwined with the Metaverse, and HR professionals can be at the forefront of this exciting evolution. Embracing the Metaverse today will pave the way for a more engaging, inclusive, and innovative workplace of tomorrow.
