Your Life at the Meta-Workplace

SHL is a Business Reporter client.

The events of the past few years have transformed the world of work, and the way we interact with colleagues, suppliers and customers has found a new meaning online. We have learned how to build new digital connections and stay on top of everything at work, even when we are not there in person. 

All this is part of the new environment that we can expect in the Metaverse. Imagine sitting in India while talking to your colleague in the US, having the usual water-cooler conversation about your vacations or planning a weekend get-together with your coworkers while accessing virtual worlds. Everything is possible in the Metaverse workplace. 

What is the Metaverse?

The term “metaverse” was coined by Neal Stephenson in his 1992 sci-fi novel, “Snow Crash,” in which he envisions lifelike avatars of people who meet in realistic 3D settings and other virtual reality (VR) environments. This is very close to how the Metaverse will operate in the future. 

The technologies that comprise the Metaverse include but are not limited to:

• Virtual reality (VR), a persistent virtual world that continues to exist even when the user is not active in it.
• Augmented reality (AR), which combines the features of the digital and physical worlds, and doesn’t require that those spaces be exclusively accessed via VR or AR technology.
• Brain-computer interfaces (BCI), which allow direct communication between the brain’s electrical activity and an external device. 

How will the workplace dynamic change in the Metaverse?

The Metaverse has huge potential for the world of work. Possibilities aside, let’s talk about what can be practically offered in the near future: 

1. Candidates can explore their potential workplace in the Metaverse

In the beginning of the pandemic, many companies had no choice but to hire remotely through various online platforms. With the right software, hiring can be efficient and seamless—and the Metaverse can add the missing human element. Candidates can spend an entire day in, and get a feel for, their potential workplace in the Metaverse. The hiring process could become less mysterious, and employees could do a face-to-face interview with an avatar of their recruiter and assess the workplace before they commit to an employer. 

2. Office task-based assessments

Moving a step ahead of simulations, the Metaverse can offer assessments where candidates’ avatars do tasks in-office. For example, a marketing candidate might need to fill in the gaps in the marketing plan by talking to all the professionals on the current team and suggesting improvements. 

3. Meta-office recruitment drives

Recruiting drives can take place using avatars, and candidates can meet fellow applicants, engage in group discussions and do face-to-face interviews. 

4. Practical assessments for recruitment and promotion

Applicants for skilled positions in the medical, engineering or manufacturing fields, for example, can be assessed via practical tasks in the Metaverse, such as performing a car diagnostic that requires an applicant to inspect different parts. 

5. In-person meetings in the Metaverse

The world shifted to online meetings overnight when the pandemic began. And now, some companies and sectors could move to a meta-workplace altogether to continue to benefit from shorter (or nonexistent) commute times, providing videoconferencing via avatars and enabling joint project solving and even mentoring, perks or fun-and-games in the meta-workplace. The possibilities are unlimited.

The challenges

In its initial stages, the Metaverse is likely to remain a specialist tool for specific uses that will complement but not replace other technologies, due to the lack of standardization, market fragmentation, the varied user interfaces on which it can be offered and a lack of uniform governance systems. It will be some time before these hurdles are overcome and we see the Metaverse as a part of our day-to-day life, much like smartphones or the internet. 

In addition to the challenges of new technology, companies face the logistical challenge of AR/VR headset availability, especially if they need to implement the Metaverse in hiring. Is it cost-effective to ship the headsets to all the candidates that apply? Do the benefits of employer branding outweigh those costs? Or will headsets be a necessary technology such as smartphones—or an optional one such as fitness watches? What are the meta-office workplace rules?

There are many such questions. And while the route can be cleared in the next three to four years, there is a lot of work to do. 

At the day-to-day office, meanwhile, companies need to decide how immersive they want to make their Metaverse experience, and to what extent they need it to complement the regular workplace experience. Just like the pandemic pushed us to use videoconferencing software for meetings, we need to be prepared for a routine-disrupting future experience where the Metaverse needs to be implemented on short notice.

Find out about the latest innovations in people sciences at SHL Labs. 

— Mark Brincat, Chief Technology Officer, SHL 

Image: iStock id1366007490