Virtual onboarding: Use of the metaverse for Induction of new employees on remote work

• Autor(a) principal: Fernandes, Carlos Manuel Lino
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10071/31317
• topic: Metaverso -- Metaverse; Integração de funcionários; Trabalho remoto; Colaboração virtual; Envolvimento; Retenção de conhecimento; Employee onboarding; Virtual collaboration; Engagement; Knowledge retention

This thesis explores the integration of metaverse and Virtual Reality technologies into remote employee onboarding processes within a multinational company. It primarily aims to design and implement a metaverse-based solution for remote onboarding and to evaluate its effectiveness in enhancing the employee experience, particularly in terms of engagement and knowledge retention. The study presents a detailed account of the solution's development and an empirical analysis of it. The study employed a Between Subjects Design, comparing traditional remote onboarding methods with the newly developed metaverse-based approach across two distinct groups of recently hired employees who accomplished the same onboarding tasks. Significant findings from the study include an improvement in the sense of social presence and interaction among employees onboarded via the metaverse, indicating a more engaging and interactive environment. Additionally, the research revealed a strong link between the level of immersion experienced in the metaverse and an increase in employee engagement, suggesting that deeper immersion directly enhances employee involvement. Furthermore, the study noted a positive relationship between the sense of electronic closeness in the virtual environment and knowledge retention, emphasizing the importance of perceived connectedness in effective virtual learning. The study concludes that the metaverse can substantially enhance remote onboarding, offering transformative potential for future work environments.