Half of business leaders look for metaverse workspace
Nearly half of business leaders are exploring options for office space within the online world for their staff, according to new research by Regus.
The flexible offices provider, which is part of IWG, found that two-thirds of business leaders viewed the metaverse as the “natural progression” for hybrid working.
To facilitate the move inside the metaverse, 56% of business leaders said shared office space will be key, and 61% believed it will become crucial for communications between different company offices.
Nearly half of business leaders are exploring options for office space within the online world for their staff, according to new research by Regus.
The flexible offices provider, which is part of IWG, found that two-thirds of business leaders viewed the metaverse as the “natural progression” for hybrid working.
To facilitate the move inside the metaverse, 56% of business leaders said shared office space will be key, and 61% believed it will become crucial for communications between different company offices.
Mark Dixon, founder and chief executive of IWG, said: “This latest research shows that business leaders expect the metaverse to have a transformative effect on hybrid working. It will enable better collaboration for people working all over the world, reducing the need to commute and allowing greater flexibility in people’s day-to-day working schedules.”
The survey was carried out among 2,000 office workers and 250 senior executives in May by research firm Mortar. It showed that bosses believe the flexibility of the metaverse is likely to bring multiple benefits to the workplace, including new business opportunities (71%) and less unnecessary hours at work (54%), as well as more diversity (62%) and better mental health (57%).
Despite enthusiasm among business leaders, only 6% of workers thought that virtual workspaces will be adopted within the year, with less than half thinking their company will be an early user of the metaverse.
In a separate study, Regus found that three times the number of FTSE 250 companies are looking to use a hybrid office model, compared with those looking to carry on in the same way as pre-pandemic.
IWG said it has committed to opening 1,000 new spaces this year to cater to that demand. The majority are set to open in rural and suburban locations.
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