Rightpoint

The Reemergence of Virtual Words

The term “metaverse” is not new. It was coined by fiction writer, Neal Stephenson, in the 1992 novel Snow Crash. The idea and early iterations of immersive technologies have been around for decades, but today, the Metaverse stands to gain steam in a unique area – elevating and diversifying the employee experience.

The pandemic prompted the rapid adoption of remote and hybrid employment models and the effects of this are still lingering. From the “Great Reshuffle” to supply chain issues, employees and employers alike have felt the added pressure. This combination of events and a hyperfocus on new solutions have been the impetus to labeling 2022 the year of the Metaverse’s reintroduction. In fact, a recent survey found that up to 30% of respondents claimed an increased productivity when working in a virtual world and 75% of them are willing to work in the Metaverse.

On top of that, major tech companies are signaling they’re all in. At the end of last year, Facebook renamed itself to Meta betting its future existence on the success of the Metaverse. Following that Microsoft bought Blizzard Entertainment to not only solidify its presence in the video game industry, but also to strengthen its VR and AR capabilities in preparation to collaboratively answer “how people will work” in virtual reality.

As organizations like Nike, Disney and Amazon hire Chief Metaverse Officers, it’s time companies ask: how can we shape strategies to make virtual worlds work for employees? With the right considerations, many agree the Metaverse can be a catalyst to improve the trifecta of productivity, learning, and company culture.

Productivity: From the watercooler to digital twinning

While remote and hybrid models have introduced a new and much desired paradigm of work, it has also created new drawbacks that the Metaverse could help address. Interactions with immediate team members have remained strong but spontaneous, “watercooler” conversations with members outside of direct teams have diminished. By simulating a more natural environment where people can “walk by the kitchen,” the Metaverse is key for recreating the natural inclination towards workplace socialization.

In a post-pandemic era, the Metaverse could trailblaze new ways of working. Although Meta is approaching their virtual world from a more holistic perspective, Microsoft is focusing on employee experience through their vision of the “Industrial Metaverse”. Their experiment is kicking off through Mesh, a pilot of mixed reality applications, with focus on delivery via Teams. The goal is to help digitize people, places, and things to visualize, simulate, and analyze any business process.

They have already helped early adopters in the space, like their work with Anheuser-Busch InBev to create copies of its brewing operations and supply chain that are synchronized with the actual facilities and based on up-to-date information. Microsoft also worked with Accenture to create a “digital twin” of its headquarters to run orientations for new employees during the pandemic.

We are only scratching the surface of this technology at this point. But, the Metaverse has the potential and tools to create experiences that are reminiscent of the ways we once worked making meaningful collaboration and captivating innovation possible in remote working situations.

Learning: Simulating the effectiveness of in-person

In a world of rapid change, the Metaverse can be a path toward faster and more comprehensive learning programs. Immersive learning experiences can boost retention rates of up to 75% compared to traditional e-learning’s 20% rates.

This is because the metaverse can simulate the real world and provide life-like coaching opportunities. That effectiveness of behavioral training in the in-person world depends on the energy, passion, expertise and articulation of the participating trainers. And, in a traditional digital world, those attributes can easily get lost.

The Metaverse provides an ideal platform to affect change from recruiting, to onboarding, and on-going Employee Resource Groups (ERG) initiatives.

The Metaverse can also incorporate gamification elements to increase engagement and appeal to a range of employee behavioral types. From creating avatars, being in a virtual classroom, and having open offices, the Metaverse provides opportunities on-par to real-world learning experiences.

Company culture: From recruiting to ERGs

Fostering company culture is more imperative than ever. The Metaverse provides an ideal platform to affect change from recruiting, to onboarding, and on-going Employee Resource Groups (ERG) initiatives.

Companies have already begun recruiting in the Metaverse – simulating a real-time job fair experience. Brands like Hyundai, Mondelez India, and KFC are exploring immersive experiences for employee onboarding allowing new employees to tour a fully 3D environment to grasp a true sense of the workplace and its culture.

Engaging in Employee Resource Groups in a virtual environment that doesn’t impose camera use could enable employees to express themselves in authentic and artistic ways. It can foster an even more inclusive environment and amplify the energy put into causes and topics that make the employee experience more meaningful.

The future is exciting

Work as we once knew it has changed – permanently – and so has the way people view work and their employee experience. Given the tectonic shifts in the space and the wide adoption of Teams, which will be the substrate for Mesh, I anticipate that the tinkering in virtual worlds will strengthen. So, before you make assumptions around the new normal of physical offices and how to reshape them for hybrid work, you might want to first assess and optimize your virtual spaces.

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Kosta Kripintiris is an Experience Designer & Strategist with 16+ years of experience. He’s worked across the spectrum of the design process, from strategy and user research, to ideation, prototyping, and interaction & visual design. He’s held positions at Digital Agencies, Consulting firms, and Tech companies and been exposed to an array of industries such as Automotive, Insurance, Education, Law, Building Materials, and Machinery. In his current role as Group Design Director at Rightpoint, he helps organizations and brands to solve problems, create relationships with their audiences, and bridge the gap between Employee and Customer Experience.