Leveraging the metaverse is an opportunity we can take advantage of in our changing work environments that are driven by the digital revolution. Businesses across all industries are searching for optimal ways to drive employee training and development. 

You can find the metaverse in everyday exchanges across the web, pop culture, mainstream news media discourse, and our everyday interactions. Now we are leveraging the metaverse in closed-door corporate discussions as industries ruminate on how and if they need to be early adopters of this medium.

The metaverse represents a seismic shift that will challenge technological and cultural paradigms forever.

Emerging technologies are driving businesses to ‘upskill’ and be initiative-taking to remain competitive in the digital age.    

Leveraging The Metaverse In Business

The metaverse is a network of always-on virtual environments in which many people can interact with one another and digital objects while operating virtual representations – or avatars – of themselves. Think of a combination of immersive virtual reality, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, and the web.

In the past, for us to upskill we had to travel which meant there would be a reduction in productivity levels. The good news is recent advances in technology have opened the doors to upskilling in the metaverse.

We are excited about this unique technique for learning because it uses training resources in the metaverse to support employee development.

In this article, we will examine why extended reality (XR) training is so valuable to modern enterprises and outline previous barriers that limited the usefulness of these technologies.

In addition, we explore how the augmented reality environment known as the ‘metaverse’ makes the use of virtual training a viable upskilling solution.

Metaverse Mixed-Reality Learning Experiences

Leveraging the metaverse is a wise idea for all businesses since metaverse mixed-reality learning modalities are a business future-proofing momentous changer.

Experts state that metaverse mixed-reality learning experiences are an innovation that is significantly optimizing training, development, and real learning.

Companies are increasingly moving to remote or hybrid workplace environments. Executives are wholeheartedly embracing innovative approaches to train, sustain and develop their teams to remain agile and appreciative.

We encourage business owners to appreciate the changes in operations and start leveraging the metaverse today. In fact, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global eLearning market is anticipating phenomenal growth, from $185.26 billion in 2020 to $388.23 billion in 2026. 

Supercharge Your eSkills Training In 6 Keyways

The reality is that leveraging the metaverse will profoundly supercharge eskills in corporate training.

Upskilling and reskilling workforces are essential to increasing organizational agility, preserving business continuity, and optimizing the consumer experience.

However, statistics show that over half of U.S. companies provide less than one week of training to their employees per year.

Regular training clearly provides benefits to companies and employees, yet businesses still fail to invest in upskilling due to cost and lower productivity time.

That is why we can start leveraging the metaverse as it eliminates these pain points and more.

1. Physical Materials Are Unnecessary

In-person training requires materials that are expensive for companies. But extended reality allows employees to make mistakes without exhausting physical materials. Businesses can worry less about costs and pursue upskilling without holding back on resources.

Leveraging the metaverse gives us the ability to build familiarity and hone skills without real-world ramifications. The metaverse is transforming how we learn and breaking through the limitations of traditional onboarding, training, and development by presenting limitless opportunities to fail without cost or consequence. 

2. Accessibility For Everyone

Traditional live training is often not accessible to all employees.

For example, employees with small children or caretakers of aging parents may be hesitant or unable to attend out-of-town experiences because they cannot find care.

Yet, technology and leveraging technology allow these individuals to participate simply with a stable internet connection and appropriate hardware. 

3. Higher Productivity

Training in-person requires long sessions or travel which is time-consuming and creates logistical issues for both employers and employees.

However, online skills courses and leveraging the Metaverse environment can mean virtually unlimited learning experiences in a variety of settings available from the comfort of home or office.

These environments can be built to either replace or augment, existing physical spaces to support learning and development. 

4. Encourage A Healthy Workplace Culture

Leveraging the metaverse means companies can take advantage of virtual training to lay the foundations for building their company culture.

Environments can be built to be as on-brand, or completely out of the box as imaginable.

Soon we could have our meetings in Space or on Mars and on top of Mount Everest. Your next global training can take place in the same virtual environment for weekly sales targets.

These are all options and can nurture a sense of belonging between staff members. Interestingly, a ‘high belonging’ feeling has outstanding company benefits:

• 56% increase in job performance, 
• 75% decrease in sick days 
• 50% reduction in turnover risk.

5. Virtual Reality Is Reality

Previously, businesses were hesitant to start leveraging the metaverse or virtual reality because it was never as ubiquitous in our daily lives as it is today.

However, the concept is not so foreign and intimidating anymore and a larger percentage of the workforce is jumping on board.

Employees today are comfortable with operating in a digital environment and crave it. This shift in employee expectations has made adopting metaverse training practical and necessary.

6. Immersive Environments With XR

Who likes boring corporate training?

More than likely, no one. That is why leveraging the metaverse will help companies overcome bland and ineffective training that traditional recruitment, onboarding, development, and engagement programs entailed.

Metaverse environments are engaging, exciting, and interactive. These attributes of metaverse upskilling solutions allow employers to create immersive environments that make a real impact. 

Business owners can use the metaverse to teach new skills, reinforce business values, and develop trust between staff and leadership.

Better yet, everything can be measured. From the amount of time spent in the metaverse, to levels of engagement, to leader boards, and even a justification for the investment beyond a survey. 

The Metaverse Provides Infinite Opportunity

We recommend leveraging the metaverse for its ability to provide versatility and strategic corporate training through virtual learning. Better yet, you can facilitate both virtual and hybrid training that can augment the live, in-person experience.

Therefore, businesses can have the flexibility to use the metaverse for department-centric training, large-scale events, and everything in between.

Also, you will encourage vital employee engagement, productivity, and healthy company culture.

Businesses do not need to struggle with actively disengaged workers since they can create a memorable, immersive, captivating learning environment that allows employees to learn and develop at a pace that is conducive to the always-on, hybrid world we live in.

Rise to the challenge and master what is required to stay relevant in the future world of work.

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