WORK 3.0 AND THE METAVERSE – SOWORK INTRODUCTION

The pandemic was the single-most impactful disruption of the workplace since Henry Ford announced the “9-5”, and what felt like an abrupt halt on productivity for some, opened up a window of possibilities for others.

Unfortunately, we got stuck with uninspiring digital tools to do our work. Zoom fatigue, getting Slack-bombed, and constant burnout became familiar experiences, and the general lack of “humanness” in the workplace became an accepted and tragic reality. That’s not to say that digital work can’t be human, but digital environments that allow us to be human have yet to be invented.

That’s why the Metaverse is such a buzzy and intriguing concept for digital-first organizations, it represents what remote work could be like, full of rich human interactions, productivity, and unimaginable possibilities.

To understand the impact of the Metaverse on the future of work, we need to look no further than the current pains of remote workers and observe the solutions a virtual, decentralized world of work can provide, but we’ll need to adapt an entirely new mentality. It’s not about the antiquated concepts of employee engagement, making work “more human,” or even designing a better employee experience.

It’s about realizing a new format of work made possible by blockchain technology, cryptonetworks, and smart contracts to give workers greater ownership, flexibility, and agency in the way they contribute to society.

In this video I highlight 3 key “freedoms” the Metaverse grants its contributors and why it is such a foundational shift from work as we know it today.

1. Ownership
2. Flexibility
3. Agency

It may seem today that the Metaverse is a far-distant and utopian aspiration, but look closely at the real problems HR departments are facing today. Recruitment and retention, digital transformation, engagement, manager training etc…Designing better employee experiences is not enough to solve these complex problems in a rapidly evolving digital landscape where employees are taking back their power and seeking non-traditional streams of income.

Companies have been trying to solve all the persistent people problems of the corporate workplace for decades and are falling further and further behind with the acceleration of technology.

It’s time to embrace an entirely new model that removes the least favorable aspects of corporate structure. Employees will choose the Metaverse, just as they are choosing distributed, remote opportunities instead of “returning to the office.” There are actions companies can be taking today to prepare themselves for the inevitable transition to the digital workplace known as the Metaverse.

The future of work is not employment, my friends, it’s THE METAVERSE.