Companies have now adopted a hybrid workforce model or remote working to stay ahead of the curve

The pandemic has given rise to a whole new work culture while accelerating the virtual world of work, and officially entering into the 2-dimensional workplace. Companies have now adopted a hybrid workforce model or remote working to stay ahead of the curve. While employees are mostly sitting in front of a flat-screen having back-to-back client calls or a virtual team coffee session on a Friday evening, the principal element missing here is the luxury of having a personal connect.

Today, this has become an ongoing challenge for most companies trying to bring the entire human experience back to life. But as per the latest acquisitions, developments and investments happening in the Metaverse, the HR gamut has extremely high potential to transition itself into this space.

Here’s how I believe the major verticals of Human Resources will be re-imagined in the Metaverse.

Immersive experiences while Hiring and On-boarding

Leading global companies like Siemens and Hyundai are already leveraging the Metaverse for hiring and people management. While we already have access to hire people from across the globe, the Metaverse will open doors to a diverse talent pool thus breaking geographical barriers within the workplace. Candidates can have the experience of being interviewed and onboarded in a 3-dimensional virtual world. This allows them to have an immersive experience while understanding the culture and values of the company. New hires will be able to build rapport, trust and develop professional relationships with their colleagues instantly. Needless to say the better onboarding experience employees have, the more likely they are to be excited to kick start their journey.

Moreover, VR can also be used to vet potential candidates by simulating and testing the analytical skills that are required for the job.

Employee Engagement no more for namesake

Chances of witnessing an upward trend in positive employee engagement experiences as compared to the current trend of remote/hybrid workforce model will be higher. A classic example would be dressing up for your company’s Rewards & Recognition ceremony and interacting with the leadership team over a gala dinner as compared to the present fashion of doing it over a Zoom/Teams call. Events like these could be hosted in the Metaverse to bridge the gap and create a delightful experience where employees get to participate in the ceremony by engaging in the virtual world. Moreover, companies would not have to worry about the employee’s safety because clearly, Covid isn’t there (yet)!

Meta’s (nee Facebook) VR office application, “Horizon workrooms” already lets people come together and work in the same room, irrespective of the physical distance. This results in saving huge costs for companies that were incurred earlier against airfare, stay, etc., for employees traveling across the globe which can now be done just by wearing a cool gadget. This can also add huge value from an employee productivity standpoint as teams can come together to collaborate, innovate, strategize, hangout, or even simply have better communication.

Establishing and nurturing more meaningful connections

Soft skills and leadership qualities like kindness and being empathetic are important now more than ever. Imagine using a piece of augmented reality that simulates being in a difficult situation to prepare you to deal with scenarios where your coworker is experiencing the feeling of being burnt out, loss of motivation and even maybe having a bad day at home?

Virtual Reality provides a way to expose people to situations they will likely encounter as they move through the hierarchy – and tech like this could be leveraged to train employees to better understand coworkers. This helps everyone to contribute to be a better person at work, avoid discrimination and handle challenging situations with ease. It’s literally learning through gamification.

Talking from a mental health perspective, such an eco-system directly reduces boundaries that exist over Zoom/Teams calls to virtually nothing. This helps cut fatigue and burnout arising by staring at the screen for hours together with zero movement.

Immense potential in the space of Learning and Development

Lastly, the part that really excites me and where I see immense potential is in the L&D aspect of the business. Computer-based training has been around since the ’90s. Annually, companies invest a lot of funds into Executive Training Programs which were earlier only accessible by a certain group of people. They can now be available to everyone irrespective of the hierarchy, whosoever is aspiring to become leaders of tomorrow. This can be done via simulation-based training in a 3D learning experience platform. This will offer increased levels of engagement, motivation, facilitating "self-paced" learning and memorable live experiences.

It would be interesting to see how VR and Metaverse perform from an L&D and employee productivity standpoint and then venture into other spaces in HR. While the whole process seems quite complex, companies that are early adopters will have a competitive edge over others in the future. Furthermore, the adaptability of Gen X as compared to the Millennials and Gen Z generations of the workforce to the Metaverse will be the real challenge.

Closing remarks

Promoting the use of the Metaverse will take time but since it’s already an important player in a variety of industries: Crypto markets, NFTs, Virtual Real estate etc., people leaders must step up and ensure that the policy-making and human factor is in sharp focus as developers and techies build the next-gen workplace. It’s always better to have some skin in the game before it’s too late. The technology revolution for the workplace starts here!

(The views expressed in the article have been penned don by Vishal Shetty, Director HR, The Hub Bengaluru solely for BW People publication)