Over recent decades, technology has accelerated remote working. However, coronavirus has expedited greatly the numbers of employees who work remotely alongside employees who still go into an office.

When coronavirus shook the world to its core in 2020, employees who previously could only imagine the freedom that remote working can provide, have experienced the benefits first-hand. More time with family, less commuting and the costs associated, more free time and energy- who wouldn’t want to implement at least some remote work into their lives?

Of course, there are profound benefits to working in an office. Firstly, getting out of the house is always a good thing! Working in the office also provides opportunities for interaction with other co-workers, which is often considered as stimulating and helpful to achieve better results. The ability to quickly converse with a colleague is always far more effective than sending an email or a Skype.

The upcoming rise of the metaverse means that it will be easier than ever for people to work from home. The metaverse is a virtual reality technology that allows users to upload their consciousness into a digital simulation. Any kind of life you want – including working from home – can be simulated in the metaverse, at any time and without limit.

Virtual reality has been around for decades, ever since the first display devices were invented. Yet with improved processing power and more affordable technology, modern day adoption of virtual reality headsets is increasing at a rapid rate. This means that it is no longer just gamers who are able to enjoy the gadgets, with software developers now enabling all sorts of industries to explore this new technology.

The Metaverse (a term that was coined in Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson) is a concept that has seen growing popularity since the rise in virtual reality, with companies vying to create this immersive experience for all to enjoy. It refers to a future where instead of having avatars in digital games or worlds, people use these same avatars to interact with real-life devices and people in the physical world.

Creating this kind of immersive experience would be beneficial for many businesses, especially those that conduct their trade virtually or who aim to create a more positive work environment; however, some argue that there are still obstacles that must be overcome before it can become part of everyday life.

Technology

As with any technology, there is still a lot of work to be done for this concept to become efficient and reliable – one example of an issue that must be overcome is latency. This refers to the time it takes for data to be processed and then transmitted back and forth between the devices and the servers that support them. As you increase the distance between the user and the servers, latency builds up. This means that an individual in a remote location would have a less fluid experience.

However, with companies such as Google investing in exact positioning technology called ‘Project Tango’, they are on track to resolve this issue by gaining a more precise understanding of where devices actually are within physical space. This means that latencies could be reduced to as little as 1 ms.

The future of this technology is reliant upon us overcoming these obstacles, but it may take a little time for them to become truly reliable and efficient.

Human Factors

As with any new technological advancement, there are concerns about how it can affect those using the devices. There are issues to consider such as ergonomics and safety. For example, certain VR headsets require the user’s vision to be obscured meaning health and safety concerns may need to be assessed before they can become available for use at work.

However, it is not only the technology itself that we must consider, but also how we interact with it. One example is the idea that when we use virtual reality systems, they will not give us any form of feedback when we bump into walls or trip over things. The only way to avoid problems like these is to make sure that users are trained to handle them before putting them into production.

Business Benefits

There are several ways in which an organisation can benefit from using virtual reality in the workplace, such as:

Increase collaboration between employees.

Virtual reality allows people to interact with the digital world in a very natural way. This means that a remote employee can see and respond to someone face-to-face without ever leaving their home office. If you have an organisation that consists of members working from different parts of the world, then this is very useful.

Cost reductions and increased profits.

Any business that has to incur high costs in order to communicate with its employees will be able to reduce them dramatically by using virtual reality headsets instead. Since employees can be located anywhere in the world, you are not restricted by expensive travel plans, making your employees more efficient and your budget a lot leaner.

Create a happier work place through greater collaboration.

According to a survey by Gallup, a staggering 13 million employees are not engaged at work. It was found that those who worked remotely were far less likely to be disengaged from their jobs – this could be because they feel isolated from the rest of their coworkers. If you can create a happier work place by allowing more of your employees to work remotely, then this will lead to greater productivity and increased profits.

Despite the many benefits that virtual reality technology can bring to businesses, there are still some people who may be wary of the idea. One reason for this is because it can be difficult to visualise virtual reality technology for those who have not tried it themselves. Another is the fact that people still question whether this form of communication can truly replace face-to-face interaction.

That said, virtual reality is becoming more widespread, and the technology is constantly evolving.

How do you see the metaverse affecting remote working? What other technologies and services will help remote working become even more efficient? Here at WhiteFin we believe our employer of record solution (EOR) which helps clients employ remote workers in the vast majority of EU/EFTA member states will be crucial. However, let us know your suggestions below!