Metaverse worlds may be set to go mainstream, with organizations looking to the immersive technology as a way to recruit, hire and conduct new employee orientations, CNBC reported Nov. 30.
Virtual reality worlds, or metaverses, create immersive, 3D experiences where users can walk around and interact with the environment through special headsets and motion-sensing gloves.
Some brands and companies are looking to see how they can use these virtual worlds to create immersive work environments. In August, Meta, formally known as Facebook, began testing a remote working app using the Oculus headset, allowing employees to attend conferences and meetings as avatars of themselves.
Hyundai is already using a virtual world to train new employees, and Samsung reportedly held a virtual recruitment career fair in September.
"When it comes to retaining talent at your company or keeping up a company culture in the remote-first age, you need tools … that are stronger than just email and Zoom," Thomas Johann Lorenz , co-founder of Journee, a Metaverse company, told CNBC.
The company has already designed virtual worlds for Siemens, BMW and Adidas and is working with a pharmaceutical company on a hiring project. It plans to "beautifully" communicate the healthcare work of the company and make the experience interactive for staff and recruits, according to CNBC.
Other companies looking for niche talent that isn't frequently found nearby or through traditional channels are using the metaverse to recruitl employees.
Privacy and safety concerns, generational differences and lack of authentic human connection have been flagged as potential issues in using the technology to hire.