How metaverse technology can boost hybrid working

Metaverse technology is anticipated to take remote and hybrid working to the next level. With companies like Meta investing $10 billion in its metaverse last year alone, it’s clear the technology will play a key role in the future. But what will work feel like in the metaverse? And what opportunities will this new immersive technology bring?

Regus, an IWG brand, recently commissioned a survey of company leaders and office workers to gauge their views on working in the metaverse. Respondents were very enthusiastic, with 71% of business leaders saying that the metaverse will open up new opportunities and 65% already considering it as part of the next step in the evolution of the virtual world and hybrid work.

What’s happening in the metaverse right now?

Major companies across multiple industries are already making developments in this space. Accenture has recruited heavily for its corporate metaverse, Nike and Selfridges have delivered interactive metaverse experiences for retail, while the gaming, events and even tourism sectors have also made inroads in this emerging virtual world.

A game changer

The metaverse enables more immersive virtual conferencing technology, which creates more meaningful and engaging experiences for hybrid workers. So what can we expect? Well, our working lives could be impacted in various ways by the metaverse.

Objects that exist in real life can become virtually twinned in 3D in the metaverse. That means we can faithfully reconstruct our offices in the virtual world.

Shared experiences will be heightened. Workers can collaborate in the same place, no matter where they are based in the physical world. The technology can allow people onsite to work on or look at a physical object in the real world while others share the same experience in the virtual world.

Organisations can also visualise and model new products virtually. For instance, Boeing plans to build its next plane in the metaverse, using 3D engineering designs, robots and VR headsets.

Global teams, intimate collaboration

In the metaverse, hybrid workers can take workplace collaboration to a new level, which will see office workers empowered to collaborate in virtual workplaces with colleagues from all over the world. A universal translation feature will allow avatars’ words to be translated into different languages simultaneously, making it easier to collaborate with international teams.

Our survey also found that 65% of business leaders believe the metaverse will be more transformational than any other videoconferencing technology and 44% of office workers think communication will be improved by the metaverse. Additionally, 35% of workers and business leaders believe onboarding and training will benefit from the metaverse.

It’s time to upskill

The beauty of hybrid working is that it empowers employees to combine remote working at home with meaningful onsite experiences, either at their company HQ or a shared workspace. The metaverse, however, has the capacity to take this to the next level.

Huge numbers of people will be required to plan, build and market the metaverse, which will create new career paths and opportunities. Prepare for the CVO — a chief virtual officer, who will act as a guide to the virtual world for fellow executives.

Enterprises like Accenture have already spotted this opportunity and have onboarded 150,000 hires over the past year in its ‘Nth Floor’ corporate metaverse.

Flexible workspaces: gateway to the metaverse

Flexible and co-working spaces have always been places where forward-thinking businesses have been able to embrace the latest technology. Our research shows that 54% of workers and 56% of company leaders shared a belief that shared office spaces will provide the key to accessing the metaverse.

The network and physical limitations of the home environment may prohibit employees from accessing the virtual world that transforms them into metaverse workers. A flexible workspace, however, provides access to business-class connectivity and technological availability to facilitate working in the metaverse.

A nail in the 9-to-5 coffin

The metaverse is yet another nail in the coffin of the outdated nine-to-five concept of work. Visionary companies that understand how technology can transform work are likely to grasp this opportunity with both hands. The question is, which companies will seize the moment and which ones will let it pass?

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