UK companies are using the metaverse to turn offices into worker lounges so they can meet the demand for hybrid work. A recent study found that half of all companies are already thinking about giving their employees an online office space.
Many managers thought that people wouldn’t work as hard during the Covid-19 lockdowns because they wouldn’t be able to control them as much as they did in the office. The lockdown period, on the other hand, has shown over and over again that this isn’t true, as many employees increased their productivity by balancing work and life better and working in healthier ways.
Managers thought that when restrictions were removed, business would go back to normal, but many workers want to keep some of their newfound freedom. As a result, the job market is getting more and more competitive, and many companies have had to agree to let people work from home when it’s possible or risk losing good workers to companies that will.
But there was some hostility between them. Traditional bosses often complain in public about letting employees do work outside of the modern office’s “panopticon.” Long-time micromanagers, on the other hand, sweat as their employees do work that is out of their line of sight. Because of this, some people are looking to technology to help them.
When most people hear the phrase “remote working day,” they think of things like writing a report at the kitchen table, sending emails from the backyard, or sometimes interrupting meetings. Zoom by how much their cat wants to be petted. But once the metaverse creates a “digital workplace,” people will be able to enjoy all the old perks of office life even when they are sitting outside. One day, workers from all over the world will be able to sit in digital booths and talk to 3D avatars. What an amazing time to be alive!
A Regus study found that two-thirds of company executives see the metaverse as the natural next step for hybrid working, and half of them are already looking into office space in the online realm. A survey of 2,000 office workers and 250 senior executives found that 66% of company leaders see this as a real possibility, and 48% are already making their first steps into the metaverse.
When Regus asked executives about the possible benefits of the Metaverse, they said that it gives more freedom than just working from home without the need for a digitally simulated office. Also, 62% of executives said it could increase diversity in the workplace, which is something that is usually only said about regular remote work. 57% said it would improve mental health, and 54% said it would cut down on presenteeism.
Mark Dixon, the founder and CEO of Regus, said, “Technology is almost always what drives change in the world of work. During the 1990s, email changed the way we did business. During the pandemic, we used video conferencing to get more work done in less time. This data shows that business leaders think the metaverse will change hybrid working in the same way. This will help people around the world work together better, cut down on the need to travel, and give people more freedom in their daily work schedules.
Over the past year or so, investors all over the world have become interested in the metaverse. Metaverse technology wants to build a network of socially-focused 3D virtual worlds. Some people think it will be the next version of the Internet, with the global network finally becoming a single, universal virtual world. But not everyone is as positive about it as UK business leaders.
Frances Haugen, who leaked information about Facebook to The Associated Press, has said in the past that she worries that the metaverse could be addicting and make people give up even more personal information. She also said that immersive metaverse environments could be used to “put many, many more sensors into our homes and workplaces.” Employees of companies that use the metaverse would have to use the system or quit their jobs.
As of now, though, all of this is still science fiction. The technology is still in its early stages and is very unstable. If the development of a cryptocurrency that has been “in its early stages” for ten years is any indication, it might stay that way. So, even though the leaders are excited about the technology, Regus found that only 6% of workers think it will be used within a year, and most of them don’t think their company will be one of the first to use it.
Latest NFT News, Trendings and Tutorials, right at your inbox, every Monday Leave this field empty if you're human: