In this episode, we are discussing if and how offices will move to the Metaverse.  What that could look like and how it will affect our working lives.

MENTIONED IN THIS WEBSITE
Horizon Workrooms – Create a Metaverse Office
Horizon Worlds – Join Horizon Worlds
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Show Transcription

[00:00:00] Cheryl: Welcome to Women of the Metaverse. I am Cheryl Lalor. 

[00:00:08] Angela: I am Angela Harkness. We have been and are still on a journey to discover the Metaverse with 3.0 NFTs and anything that we are required to know to join this world 

[00:00:20] Cheryl: from. From this podcast, we will help you to unlock how the manifest is going to impact your brand.

[00:00:27] Cheryl: Your business and even your personal 

[00:00:30] Angela: life. Join us as we take the mystery out of this new digital universe.

[00:00:38] Angela: Welcome to Women of the Metaverse. In this episode, we are gonna be talking about Metaverse offices and whether companies will move more into the metaverse. The idea for this episode came about from a comment in an article we read talking about horizon work. . Herman Naula is the [00:01:00] c e o of a company called Improbable, which makes software to build Metaverse lands, and he is quoted in this article as saying, why would we want an office in the Metaverse that looks like our real office?

[00:01:13] Angela: Hmm. Good point. Right? 

[00:01:15] Cheryl: Yeah. We had a bit of a chat about this because in a similar way that the food industry produces new ingredients by pairing them with ingredients we already feel comfortable with, such as vanilla or raspberry. Maybe this is Meta’s plan because they have to play to a certain extent, to the audience that they already have, which is an aging audience.

[00:01:41] Cheryl: Many of them have been on Facebook since the. Maybe it will ease the people into it without any resistance. You have to think of it as the stages of technology adoption, which is innovators, early adopters, [00:02:00] early majority, late majority, and laggers. . Facebook at this stage is not playing into the innovators or and early adopters.

[00:02:10] Cheryl: They are hoping that people will go and have a play, have some meetings, and feel like the meetings they currently have and not feel so uncomfortable about such a big change. So what do you think? Will offices move to the metaverse or will we. Play with something because it seems fun at the moment, but it will never take off.

[00:02:34] Cheryl: What do you think 

[00:02:35] Angela: actually, Hmm. What we believe are the advantages is the immersive experience of being in the myth first. It is a completely different experience from speaking to someone via Zoom. You genuinely feel as if you are interacting with others. If you wanna see that as well, go and look at our YouTube channel because the way that Sharon and I interact in the, in our office, in our studio, [00:03:00] it also enables you to look at items in a 3D view and manipulate them.

[00:03:05] Angela: For example, imagine that you are having a house built and you can visit the offices of your architect Actually, in the meta. and see and walk through and 3D model of your house. Now, I know that architects, as Cheryl said, has they already do this to a certain extent, but this again, would be more immersive because you would be able to move through it as if you are living in it.

[00:03:29] Angela: So you can see it has been designed in a way that you want to live in it or, or someone like Cheryl is a website designer to bring a team into a room and show them a version of their website that they can. through rather than sending them designs via email. That would be good for you. Right? That’d 

[00:03:48] Cheryl: great.

[00:03:48] Cheryl: I mean, if it’s just a big billboard that they can walk around. 

[00:03:53] Angela: Yes. Whilst we understand the way in which Meta has designed their rooms, it does allow you to experience [00:04:00] offices in a different way, which is moving to locations such as one of our favorites at Beach. Also, remember, we are just at the start of this journey.

[00:04:09] Angela: The technology is a toddler and still has a lot of growing to do. But even now as a small business owner, the options for you and how you work with people in the metaverse can look exactly how you want it to look. We talk about this a lot. You can just open up your imagination and create an environment that fits your brand or even create separate environments that suits your client.

[00:04:34] Angela: What’d you think about? I 

[00:04:36] Cheryl: think it’s, yeah. Brilliant. And I can’t actually wait to see what Apple do. Yes. At the moment we’ve only had experience of meta. And meta has been around two years and I think it was only last year that they, um, brought out the not horizon workrooms, well, horizon worlds. So it’s still so new and.[00:05:00] 

[00:05:00] Cheryl: Mark Zuckerberg continues to get slated for the animation and um, just, just how apparent, you know, how pans apparently. Yeah. And how, um, how an, the animation is a bit childlike. Um, but we have nothing to compare it to at the moment. Not really. 

[00:05:23] Angela: And you can still, you still get a good use it and it’s. Yes.

[00:05:28] Angela: You know, it’s still free just to get used to it. So we support it. See 

[00:05:33] Cheryl: what Apple do. Yeah. Oh yeah. We support ma our supporting meta. Yeah. Um, purely because it’s the only way that we have been able to explore the metaverse. That’s fair. Yeah. 

[00:05:43] Angela: Yeah. Because we don’t wanna game. So the o kind of, the only other really way to do it is to, is to game.

[00:05:51] Angela: Although you can visit some brands. on in decent land and in the sandbox, yes. But this sort of real [00:06:00] experience, although the headsets, the VR headset is expensive, once you get in using your meta, there is a lot to do and explore. So the workroom side of it we just think is really cool. It’s just a, you know, it’s just an easy option to give it a go.

[00:06:17] Cheryl: Definitely, definitely. So in a recent PWC report, 82% of US business leaders expect Metaverse plans to be part of their business activity within the next three years. I mean, sorry, it’s always from the US stats. Um, we can never get the UK stats. , is that a step too far? The Metaverse has, has the manifest as has the potential to benefit employees and employers alike as long as it forces on enhancing hybrid.

[00:06:53] Cheryl: Rather than replacing the physical office altogether as Straus Ze, [00:07:00] c e o of Gaming Development Company, take two said in recent interview, we don’t want to end up in a world where everyone works in the Metaverse all the time. I’m skeptical that we’re all going to wake up in the morning and intentionally sit at home, strap our headsets on, and conduct all of our daily activities that way.

[00:07:20] Cheryl: We had to do that during the pandemic, and we don’t really like it so much. We also have to take into the account the disadvantages. So for example, the VR headsets are incredibly uncomfortable and you could probably do no more than a couple of hours. And we have discussed this before, for women, they are a nightmare.

[00:07:43] Cheryl: They have the ability to wipe off makeup and the minute you put them. Which is a problem if your days are mixed with face-to-face meetings and VR 

[00:07:53] Angela: meetings, you get that awful ring around your eyes as well. It’s awful. Like that red, like, [00:08:00] like sunburn, like snow burn, isn’t it? Like 

[00:08:02] Cheryl: you’ve just come out of the, um, the sea with your bubbles on.

[00:08:05] Cheryl: Yeah. But hopefully over time the VR headsets will become more user-friendly and more comfortable to wear. The other disadvantage is privacy in the metaverse. Your every move is recorded, so if you are moaning about your boss in your virtual coffee room, then it could could get you fired. But to a certain extent, you have that now with O Office, messenger SE Systems, emails, and team recording.

[00:08:32] Cheryl: In businesses, you have those that really struggle with change, so why small people want flexibility of hybrid work in, they may be reluctant to enter this virtual world. 

[00:08:43] Angela: Yeah, I can imagine. I remember some people being reluctant to move to Excel spreadsheets. Really? Yeah. 

[00:08:52] Cheryl: We all shine your range now, . 

[00:08:54] Angela: I am.

[00:08:56] Angela: I am. I remember having to go to an accountant. and [00:09:00] he, he actually looked after the accounts of the partners in the accounts he found and teach him how to use Excel cuz it was right. But he could add up in his head quicker than the Excels spreadsheet could do. The one . So it was really, it is so really difficult, but you always have this.

[00:09:20] Angela: when people have worked for corporations for a really long time, they’re very stuck in their waist regardless of how senior they were. Yeah, they’re very stuck in how they do their jobs and like any small change and be difficult to try and get them to adapt to it. So to put on a VR headset and enter the metaverse, that’s a big step, but it is one.

[00:09:44] Angela: You know, eventually people will start to do, but it comes down to those early adopters, doesn’t it? But as, as this is such a new conversation and the majority of corporations are just looking into this idea, let’s focus on [00:10:00] us, the small business owners, because this is where we think we have the opportunities to stand out.

[00:10:06] Angela: Whilst bigger corporations have the money to introduce and build offices in the meta. They have the problem with trying to get a whole workforce to adopt it as common practice for small brands. The doors are open because we can make our own decisions. You may have reluctant clients, but you may also have very enthusiastic clients.

[00:10:27] Angela: We came up with this idea from a preview episode, but thinking about adding a cost of a VR set headset onto your package that you could give to a customer so they can meet in your metaverse. . This will definitely make you stand out from other clients, but it will give your clients such a unique experience as well if they’re open and willing.

[00:10:50] Angela: So imagine if you were a wedding planner and you could bring your clients into a virtual world so they could see and walk through what their wedding was gonna look like instead of using [00:11:00] images. And we smoke about architecture, we smoked , we, we spoke about architecture, but interior design is the. You could walk a client through their home instead of having to view their designs on a mood board.

[00:11:16] Angela: AI is now enabling clients to view their homes in a much clearer way. You can see what color a room is, will look like, not just through a color swatch on the wall, but the metaverse will take that to the next level. So I, there’s so many different ideas. I would’ve gone crazy, so I had to stop a little bit 

[00:11:35] Cheryl: as I was.

[00:11:36] Cheryl: No, that’s fine. It actually reminded me of, um, a 3D model that my friend got to see with her headset of a kitchen. Sorry. Yeah. So that’s already in place. Yeah. 

[00:11:46] Angela: It’s clever and it’s brilliant. It’s just that kind for those people who need to, who can’t envisage things. Yeah. Like I can’t just put a piece of paint on a wall and.

[00:11:57] Angela: Oh yeah. I really like that. And imagine what the whole [00:12:00] room is gonna look like. I need the, I need the immerse there. Immerse yourself. Yeah. And I need it there to say, oh, that does, that’s not gonna work, is it? If I saw that on a plan, I’m not sure I would. I would think about that. But the things, the tiny things you might not think 

[00:12:14] Cheryl: about, it’s just opening up your world really, isn’t it?

[00:12:17] Cheryl: Yeah. I mean, we used to get pink swatches and then, you know, try and get a, a taste or a flavor of how that’s gonna be with this small little paint that’s been dropped onto the wall. 

[00:12:26] Angela: Exactly, exactly. So there is so many options for so many different small brands. We think this is a way to start.

[00:12:36] Cheryl: Definitely. As we have pointed out, we wanted to record this episode because we have been discussing the article we mentioned at the beginning of this episode, our experience has been positive in the metaverse, but this is definitely one, well, it will happen in very small stages as technology develops, but it is an area to think about because again, you can be [00:13:00] ahead of the crowd and be prepared.

[00:13:02] Cheryl: Would Zoom and Microsoft teams have had such a big take up if we hadn’t all been locked down. But guess what? People were forced to change and for the most part successfully made it work. I used to travel constantly to see clients, but now most of my work is over Zoom and I have more time to do the design work.

[00:13:25] Cheryl: You want to ensure for your own business that you are not forced to change, but that you are embracing this new virtual world and gradually introducing your clients to how amazing and immersive it can. 

[00:13:39] Angela: This will not be the last time we talk about this subject. We think there is a lot to discuss and a lot of ideas that can make your business stand out from the crowd.

[00:13:48] Angela: We hope you’ve enjoyed this episode. Please join us next week as we continue our journey into the Met first. Bye for now. Goodbye.

[00:13:59] Angela: [00:14:00] Thank you for listening to this episode of Women of the Metaverse. 

[00:14:04] Cheryl: You can find all information, links and people we talked about in the show notes on our website. If you have 

[00:14:10] Angela: enjoyed this podcast, please comment and subscribe. 

[00:14:14] Cheryl: Join us again in the next episode as we continue this exciting metaverse journey.