The first time I visited the metaverse, I was late to a meeting because my avatar was rushing across a hilly corporate campus in 3-inch heels. That was back in 2020, and I still hadn’t figured out that instead of frantically clicking my mouse to run faster, I could simply teleport to the brainstorm room. Such is the way of the metaverse.

Pre-pandemic, the metaverse was a novelty, but within the next decade, it’s likely to become the office of this century. Software platforms such as Gather, Strivr and Virbela are creating interactive workspaces that are far more engaging than a two-dimensional Zoom or Google videoconference.

While many organizations have experimented with the metaverse via one-off events, such as anan all-hands meeting, some are taking it to the next level. eXp Realty, a national real-estate brokerage, has no bricks-and-mortar office and in 2016 used the Virbela platform to build its home, eXp World, in the metaverse. Two years later, eXp Realty’s parent company bought Virbela’s assets.

In eXp World, 76,900 employees and real-estate agents go to work every day, get training and support, attend conferences, and collaborate with other agents and employees around the world.

Glenn Sanford is the CEO of eXp World Technologies Inc., the parent company of eXp Realty and Virbela. He believes a virtual headquarters gives eXp Realty all the advantages of the physical working world, including a sense of place and belonging, and creates an environment that minimizes hierarchy and maximizes self-organization.

“Employees work in an office that allows for chance encounters and provides a daily routine,” Mr. Sanford said. “We’re a business that thrives on face-to-face contact, and there’s a real psychological benefit to walking into a virtual auditorium and seeing 1,000 of your peers, or meeting with a mastermind group for diversity, equity, and inclusion, for example.”

Are you intrigued yet? Here are some considerations before you leap in.

Understand types of metaverse technology and their costs: Your organization’s transition from a metaverse environment that is partially immersive (i.e. you are watching your avatar on a screen, as in eXp World) to one that is fully immersive (i.e. you feel like you are actually there) will depend on how much budget you have for software, including several hundred dollars worth of virtual-reality headsets and accessories for each employee.

Consider engagement for all generations: Trialing new metaverse implementations is useful in attracting Gen Z talent, said Cathy Hackl, an author and tech futurist who is the chief metaverse officer of Futures Intelligence Group. Ms. Hackl has offices on several metaverse platforms including Roblox, Decentraland and Core and hosts client meetings and recruitment events for top technical talent there.

“Gen Z expects the companies they work for to be innovative in the way they recruit them, train them and retain them. A YouTube vídeo might not be enough,” Ms. Hackl said.

You should also prepare for a steeper learning curve and possible hesitancy to adopt from some employees, and be reasonable and inclusive in your expectations.

Be patient: Recognize that it’s going to take people time to adjust to this way of working and make the shift gradually–one activity at a time. Put the right training and resources in place so it feels easy and people develop positive associations. “Over time, it will become second nature and your teams will focus on the task and relationships at hand rather than, ‘How do we use this technology?’” Mr. Sanford said.

Mind employee privacy: As the metaverse grows more sophisticated, there are bound to be legal and ethical issues regarding access, security and privacy. Within a few years, organizations may be able to track employee physiological responses and biometric data such as heart rate and eye movement. This type of monitoring can be useful, of course, but develop guardrails around it before you make unintended blunders like collecting personal data without a clear plan for what you’re going to do with it.

The best way to get acquainted with the metaverse is to hang out there for a while. You will soon see opportunities to boost employee experience in the metaverse through "face-to-face" training sessions or a virtual dance party for everyone to kick back after work.

Nearly half of global employees are willing to embrace a metaverse workplace, according to a recent study commissioned by Lenovo and conducted by YouGov.

Of the 7,500 working adults in six countries surveyed, 44% said they are willing to work in the metaverse, while 20% are unwilling and the rest are neutral or unsure.

Many of the employees hope that metaverse work will improve their productivity, though 43% think their employers don’t have the knowledge or expertise to enable them to work in the metaverse of the future.

🎥 WATCH: Metaverse evangelists say that the future of life and work is upon us. But many of the applications focus on gaming and social interactions. Nvidia’s Richard Kerris and Constellation Research’s Ray Wang explain what the Metaverse means for CIOs.

During the pandemic, a disproportionately high number of older workers have retired early, aggravating a labor shortage. Many say jobs and salaries will need restructuring if employers want them back. “Companies are realizing there’s just not enough new blood coming in, and they’re losing decades of experience walking out the door,” said Vanessa Liu, an entrepreneur behind SilverLife, an incubator for businesses addressing the aging demographic. Researchers and workplace experts are figuring out what late-in-life careers could look like.

Choosing tasks: Ms. Liu is developing a platform that would break down jobs by tasks or roles to make them more attractive for older workers. For example, a supervisor job at a manufacturing plant could be deconstructed into three separate roles: A troubleshooting job identifying problems on the assembly line, a team-management role and a product-development job. Hours and pay could be adjusted accordingly, allowing workers to move from 100% employment to 60% to 30% when they’re ready.

Changing benefits: The shift to more contract and gig work will require a new benefit structure for all workers who want to work independently by project but need benefits that are generally only available to full-time employees, says Kathleen E. Christensen, an authority on the changing nature of work. New laws and organizations will be needed to provide benefits for future contract workers perhaps by project or role. Benefits will also need to be more in sync with older workers’ priorities, which can be far different than those of younger workers.

• A Whole New World: Education Meets the Metaverse (Brookings)
   
• Finding the Value in Virtual Reality for HR (SHRM)
   
• As Workers Enter the Metaverse, How Much Privacy Will They Surrender at the Virtual Door? (HR Brew)
   
• What You Need to Know About the Future of Working Inside the Metaverse (Washington Post)
   
• Mark Zuckerberg and Meta’s Leadership Take Remote Work to the Extreme (WSJ)

📅 April 12 WSJ Jobs Summit: The job market has roared back to life, with a record number of openings–and people quitting. In the era of 'The Great Reshuffle' the WSJ Jobs Summit will deliver expert advice and trusted insights on how to turn today's hot job market into a competitive advantage. Whether you're a recent graduate on the job hunt for the first time, a midcareer professional considering a change or an experienced worker looking for negotiation tips, this full-day program will feature interviews and interactive workshops designed to help you succeed in the search. Agenda and registration

Alexandra Levit is a business and workplace author and speaker. She is the weekly columnist anchoring The Workplace Report. Yogita Patel curated and edited this newsletter.

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