Metaverse in HR: what are the possibilities?

Have you ever heard of metaverse? The term became popular at the end of last year, when Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would be renamed Meta and would start investing in this virtual environment.

Since then, several sectors have started to explore and create initiatives in this universe. There have already been innovation events, fashion shows, virtual concerts, brands promoting exclusive products for avatars.

It didn't take long for this concept to reach the recruiting and selection market: companies have already started to use the metaverse in their selection processes and are not expected to stop there.

What is this metaverse?

It is a virtual world with real interactions. The idea of the metaverse is to create this universe that is very similar to ours, but focused on personal connections and infinite possibilities using immersion in virtual and augmented reality.

Each person has their own avatar and can interact with other avatars (aka people) in the places created within this reality, and there, these people can do everything they already do in the real world. 

It is like your real life in the virtual environment: your avatar can work, go to the market, meet with friends, learn, and even go to a movie session. And while virtual reality is a mainstay of the metaverse, it is not everything: this universe uses a computer system to create fully immersive virtual environments.

Metaverse in HR, what are the possibilities?

The metaverse is not so far from the HR area, quite the contrary: it didn't take long for this universe to enter this world and bring new horizons.

Selective Process

Over the years, selection processes have undergone several changes, and today, the vast majority take place in a 100% digital environment, from application to hiring.

The metaverse came to be the next step in this advance: can you imagine being able to enter a 100% online and immersive environment to do the interview phases? Well, for some companies this is already a reality!

Just this year, the Brazilian company Companhia de Estágios launched a pilot project for some partner companies to try out the metaverse in the selection process, and organizations such as Ayrton Senna Institute and Scania have accepted and made the interview in the metaverse a mandatory phase. One candidate who participated in the interview said she felt she could express herself better when talking to the recruiter's avatar that was conducting the process.

Another company that invested in recruiting in the augmented reality environment was Brazilian company Ambev, which conducted an internship program at Ambev Expo, its own space in the metaverse. The talents approved for the dynamic and interview phases were able to enter the metaverse, customize their avatars, talk to NPCs (non-playable characters) that represented the collaborators and told them about the company's culture, as well as giving them tips on how to do well in the dynamics.

Offices

In the virtual universe, it will be possible to have infinite, fully immersive headquarters and offices, with rooms to work and hold meetings. In this environment, it will also be possible to interact with your team through avatars.

Meta itself has already started to use these rooms for meetings and interviews .

Relationship with co-workers

The new work models already have more collaboration and less hierarchy, with the metaverse, it will be possible to add great values to your employer brand.

The connections can be strengthened without having to travel: happy hours, dynamics, onboarding, internal events, training and much more done in real time and from anywhere (as is the reality of some companies today), but with much more immersion.

Are there any rules for participating in the metaverse?

As it is very recent, these topics are still being debated and there is still no specific regulation for the job. But we can expect a package of best practices that should include socialization standards, avatar definitions, etc.

For now, each administrator of the environment must regularly monitor to avoid unpleasant situations.

How do I enter the metaverse?

To have this immersive augmented reality experience, people wear accessories such as glasses and gauntlets that are connected to computers and smartphones. 

Today, these devices are not affordable for everyone, which slows down the adoption curve, but some companies are already working to lower the cost and make lighter and more accessible accessories.

Without a doubt, the metaverse has an important role in our future, mainly because of all the investment that has been made and should increasingly reach several areas.

In HR, it can be the key turning point for companies that want to invest more and more in the world of technology. The important thing is not to lose focus on the well-being of the collaborators and the work environment itself, whether in the real or virtual world.

Some people are even talking about a HR 5.0, but this is a subject for another post!