TALKING

Employees don ’ t just want water cooler moments ; they want memorable ones .

while new startups will enter the market offering entirely new and disruptive solutions .

In the meantime , we can expect that many business leaders will already be exploring how they can implement Virtual and Augmented Reality tools ( collectively known as ‘ extended reality ’ or XR ) to shift remote collaboration from a flat , one-dimensional experience into a multi-dimensional one . By equipping employees with anything from AR or VR head-mounted displays ( HMD ), to gaming-like consoles , to a browserbased enterprise ‘ metaverse ’, businesses can pave the way to more natural , productive , inclusive and more engaging ways for workers to interact , wherever they are geographically .

By adopting XR , employees sharing a virtual space can be together , even when they ’ re not . This means moving around , making eye contact and using body language – all crucial parts of human communication that can be vital for conveying messages . Moreover , it can bring those working remotely into a ‘ physical ’ workspace , helping to overcome the issue of proximity bias by reducing any advantage or disadvantage an individual may have based on location , by merging into the geometry of a meeting seamlessly .

The business power hold

What we ’ re seeing now is a power hold . Employees have seen an opportunity to make their work , work for them , and they ’ ve seized it . It ’ s left businesses on the back foot . But they do have the opportunity to take back control , only if they ’ re willing to adapt . Changes must be made if organisations are to secure the talent they need for a bright , successful and innovative future . This means making hybrid work for everyone and involves spending time and money on making the office and virtual worlds work seamlessy together . p

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