Working online and remotely has quickly become a norm for various companies and teams, but is this type of work visually and emotionally satisfying? How do teams and companies deal with zoom fatigue and boring online calls being part of their daily routine?

In this article, we’d like to inform you about the benefits of using metaverse for remote work, inspire and share our experience of creating and fostering the online work and virtual culture, and help companies identify the best approach for their specific case.

BENEFITS OF REMOTE WORK IN METAVERSE

The concept of the metaverse, a virtual shared space where people can interact with each other and a wide range of digital objects and applications, has been around for decades. However, with the recent widespread shift to remote work and the need for people to connect and collaborate online, the metaverse has seen a surge in interest as a potential solution.

One of the main benefits of using metaverse for remote work is the ability to bring people together in a virtual environment and make it feel like a real space. In the metaverse, users can create avatars to represent themselves as well as interact with others through voice, chat, and gestures. This helps to create a sense of presence and authentic interaction which is often lacking in traditional video conferencing. The result is increased productivity and employee satisfaction overall.

Another advantage of the metaverse is the ability to easily access and share digital content,  as well as access a wide range of applications and tools. For example, users can access virtual whiteboards, share screens or leave messages on a colleague’s desk. This can make it easier for teams to collaborate and get work done, regardless of their location.

Overall, the cost savings of using the metaverse to have virtual offices can be substantial compared to conventional offices, especially for distributed teams. Here are a few ways how metaverse can help companies cut costs:

• No rent or lease expenses: With the metaverse, the company no longer needs to pay for costly office space, and employees are able to log in from anywhere.
• Ease of scalability: In a traditional office setting, expanding or downsizing is a costly and time-consuming process. With the metaverse, companies can simply add or remove virtual office space as needed, without major additional costs.
• Lower upfront costs: While there is an initial investment for setting up virtual offices in the metaverse (platform fee & design costs), it is significantly lower than the continual expenses to maintain a physical office space. 

BEHIND THE SCENES OF REMOTE WORK AS OF NOW

From our perspective and based on our personal experience, use of the metaverse for remote work is likely to continue to grow in popularity as more people and organisations become familiar with this technology and its obvious benefits. As such, businesses should consider the role that the metaverse can play in their remote work strategies as well as familiarise themselves with the tools and platforms that are available.

There are also a number of other potential applications for the metaverse in the realm of remote work. For example, companies could use the metaverse to create virtual training programs or onboarding experiences for new employees. Virtual events and meetings could also be held in the metaverse, providing an immersive and interactive experience for attendees.

VIRTUAL REMOTE OFFICES WE HAVE DESIGNED

We help companies design their customised online spaces. Such spaces, similar to real life, reflect team needs as well as brand and company values. But designing a virtual space is not the only factor in successful remote culture adoption. Entire teams and team leaders have to be invested and successfully on-boarded first. It is also important to choose the right platform that supports work tools, integrations and gamification.

The virtual workspace design can’t be just a simple virtual replica; it always needs to have a little something extra, to make the experience more fun and engaging. Take a look at some of these examples with our real-world clients.

Baxter IP – Upon request, we created a virtual office for Baxter IP. The day-to-day operations of this company in a virtual environment include meetings with clients, collaborative sessions in the kitchen, and online picnics in the garden. Read more about their use-case of using the Gather platform for a virtual office: https://www.innovationaus.com/baxterip-and-the-future-of-metaverse-watercoolers/

Voem – We created this virtual space called ‘DiverzCity’ for a Belgian non-profit organisation. Here, you can work, meet up, organise events & workshops or simply play games with your colleagues. You can find Voem‘s virtual office as a part of DiverzCity and meet their teams from Ghent, Antwerp, and Brussels on a daily basis there. You can visit DiverCity here: https://app.gather.town/app/ot2TGoNMn96ZIXJ8/DiverzCity

Goethe Institute – This German non-profit association uses its virtual space partly as a remote office space and partly for workshops for one of their teams. Besides joint lectures and a library full of materials, there are three workshop rooms where groups work with the most important social topics of today.

Madagence is a France-based digital agency that was looking for a solution to strengthen human interactions during online meetings and alleviate the feeling of disconnection with the company. They found the answer through the use of a virtual office in the Gather platform. They use the virtual space for client meetings, events, and most importantly, for the everyday work of their teams and project management.

READY TO TRY IT?

It’s evident that the metaverse can be a powerful tool for remote work, offering a more immersive and interactive experience for team collaboration and communication. Undoubtedly, the metaverse is worth exploring as a way to improve the effectiveness of remote work and build a sense of connection among team members. If you’re ready to give it a try, reach out to us at Space Makers. We are ready to help you take the leap into this revolutionary way of remote work.