The corporate world is always the first one to face the ripple effects of any changes in the technological sphere. Be it the advent of cryptocurrency or the popularity of augmented reality. Any changes in the world of technology are sure to bring about changes in the working industry. The latest thing in the tech world is Metaverse. Many people are yet to hear about what Metaverse is and how it can change life as we know it.
Before we get on to understand the correlation between working and Metaverse, we must understand what Metaverse is, to begin with:
What Is Metaverse?
Metaverse is the name for a new virtual world that mirrors the real world on an individual and community level. It transcends reality and augmented reality simultaneously. This virtual world stimulates the happenings in real life using digital simulations.
Recently, Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook has stepped up to take charge of this technology and integrate it into the future of its own company, Facebook and other avenues. Netizens already use some fragments of the Metaverse in different games they play and other software. They can play multiplayer online games and earn virtual currency that they can then spend on buying inventory.
Metaverse is a much more complex phenomenon than multiplayer online games. Its uses can expand into not just entertainment but shopping and even working! Metaverse can be a groundbreaking technology for the workplace as it can integrate not just better work processes but better communication within teams.
This communication can be hyper-realistic, just like standing next to each other and having a little chat using not just words but facial expressions and body language. Let's delve further into understanding what kind of changes Metaverse can bring to working.
How Can Metaverse Shape The Future?
According to Zuckerberg, Metaverse can bring vast changes in the workplace. He calls the Metaverse an 'Infinite Office' as there are limits to the functionality of the Metaverse in the office space. With Work from Home (WFH) gaining popularity, the Metaverse can revolutionize the way companies operate. Zuckerberg emphasizes on the concept by saying that physical presence is not vital if you want to engage in a fruitful conversation or meeting.
Since the Metaverse technology is decentralized, not one company or organization owns it which makes it a lucrative opportunity for different tech industries to come up with their very own Metaverse universe.
In the past year or ever since the break out of the pandemic, companies have made great use of different online calling platforms to communicate and engage with their employees. While these tools have been of great help during difficult times, they still do not make up for the lack of communication. In replacement of such tools, the Metaverse universe can offer a hyper-realistic experience that can elevate communication levels.
The introduction of Metaverse is very similar to the introduction of Virtual reality. Many industries have been able to receive great benefits from the advent of Virtual realities as they have been able to learn the intricacies of their jobs without actually practicing them. There has been a great spike in job opportunities because of Virtual Reality and the same can be said for Metaverse.
The biggest change expected is in the way we work, for instance, employees can work together in a more productive manner and cut down on all the efforts that generally go to waste.
What Changes Can We Expect In The Metaverse?
Among the many changes that workers can expect, here are some of the most popular ones:
· Remote Working Opportunities
Working in the Metaverse indirectly means that you no longer have to wake up in wee hours of the morning and commute all the way to your office to work. Instead, you can work remotely. These remote working opportunities make it very convenient for workers to work and continue with their personal life and other extra things that they wish to do with their time.
·Transparency
There are often discrepancies in the way we work. Many things are lost in communication. This cannot just hinder the workflow but it can also hinder the relationships between employees and their superiors.
The Metaverse universe offers complete transparency that allows employees to keep a check on their progress and helps the bosses see what their employees are up to at all times. This transparency can be seen in both a negative and positive light. For instance, if your boss can see what you are doing at all times, you are left with no privacy; this can be a difficult situation.
This can be seen as an intrusion into the private life of a worker and can cause a magnitude of problems.
· Employment Opportunities
With all technological advancements, more work opportunities sprout and that can lead to a spike in employment options. With the new technology, employment processes might change which can lead to more opportunities for freelancing options. Experts can predict a massive increase in the freelancing industry.
· Authentic Interactions
Zoom calls and other software may help in communication but they are not as authentic as they should be which is why it is important for the Metaverse universe to take over the interactions and give employees an authentic experience that can help increase their productivity levels. For instance, Microsoft Teams is working to come up with a Metaverse called Mesh to aid the interactions.
· Integration Of One Persona In All Social Situations
It can be difficult to maintain individual personas out and inside the workplace, to combat this concern; Metaverse can offer you a single persona that you can use in all your social interactions.
However, that may not settle all too well with people as there will be a lot of information about their daily and personal life that will be shared on these platforms.
This can also be an intrusion of privacy that can lead to further extraction of data and leave the users in a vulnerable position.
Furthermore, it can also lead to employee burnout as these employees will spend most of their time submerged in their virtual worlds which can be short-lived.
· Metaverse for Team Building
Last but not the least, Metaverse can be a great tool for team building as there are already many software such as Gather, that are helping human interactions in the workplace to be more imaginative. Their technology offers fluidity of interactions where they can easily switch from a conversation to an interactive brainstorm session with all the team members. Such technologies can be very fruitful in building teams that are communicative and problem solvers.
Conclusion
To conclude, it is to say that Metaverse has many interesting things up its sleeves. Workers and anyone for that matter can expect to experience groundbreaking changes that can revolutionize every single industry and turn the physical world a manifestation of the virtual Metaverse universe. It is best for companies and their employees to not only learn about them but also begin the integration of available software in their lives.
