Metaverse Skills for Executives and Senior Managers: The Pros and Cons

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift from traditional office setups to remote working, driven by information and communication technology advancements. As a result, the metaverse concept is gaining popularity in modern organizations, allowing users to create avatars for virtual work, socializing, and other activities. While its corporate adoption is rising, managers must acquire the necessary skills to integrate and utilize the technology successfully. However, technological progress can be disruptive, making it essential to weigh the benefits and drawbacks.Methodology: This proposal aims to investigate metaverse skills that managers require for remote working using virtual realities, assessing the positive and negative risks for employees and management within business organizations. Using secondary data from reliable online databases, a qualitative research approach was used to understand the pros and cons of the metaverse and remote work.Purpose: The study examines the essential skills managers need to adopt metaverse virtual realities for remote working and how employees and organizations can implement it while maintaining a positive work environment. Keywords such as metaverse, remote working, virtual reality, and information and communication technology are critical. As technology evolves, managers and organizations must consider the metaverse's inherent advantages and disadvantages to ensure a successful transition to remote.Research Questions: What are the necessary skills needed by managers towards the adoption of metaverse virtual realities for remote working? How can employees and organizations adapt to implementing metaverse for remote work and sustain a positive work environment? © 2023 IEEE.

Conclusion: Towards a new web of rules

In this concluding chapter, we draw together the various contributions presented in this volume, discuss the broader implications of our findings, and reflect on how this builds upon Willy Brown's work. The chapter examines how the patchwork of rules has been altered by new and emerging challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of global supply chains and new forms of business. We return to the central objective of this volume of identifying and analysing the viability of various institutions for addressing these challenges and discuss how these might form the basis of a new web of rules for protecting labour standards in the future. © 2023 by Emerald Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.

Academic Arena and Survival: INSIGHTS on Remote Working and Learning in Higher Education during the Recurrence of COVID-19

Introduction: Rapid outbreaks, wide spreads, and severe damage have characterized events in public health in China. Several significant challenges have faced the global community in the 21st century, including COVID-19, resulting in uncertainty about the future of current and future generations. In the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic, remote working and learning (RWL) have gained more importance. Material and Methods: Two objectives were pursued in this study. To analyze how Higher Education Academician (HEA) and students used RWL during COVID-19 and how they handled RWL challenges. This research used a quantitative approach to achieve its objectives. A total of 480 students and 394 HEA were recruited through random sampling. Data collection was carried out using two self-developed questionnaires. Results: RWL arrangements are satisfactory to both HEA and students. HEA and students agree that RWL relieves work stress and maximizes family time. Considering the survey results, it is evident that RWL practices are strongly supported in the era of COVID-19. Conclusion: RWL is essential to work during the COVID-19 pandemic recurrence phase. It provides non-stop working and learning to HEA and students. HEA and students highly accept RWL and favor it during the particular reoccurrence period of COVID-19. Transitioning from face-to-face instruction to a fully functional virtual (RWL) environment will require time and experience. Therefore, it is recommended that the government make a proper plan for future turmoil by drawing lessons from this unanticipated crisis and providing training programs for RWL preparation. Resumen Introducción: Los acontecimientos recientes en la salud pública en China se han caracterizado por brotes rápidos, amplias propagaciones y daños graves. Varios desafíos importantes han enfrentado la comunidad global en el siglo 21, incluido COVID-19, lo que resulta en incertidumbre sobre el futuro de las generaciones actuales y futuras. A raíz de la pandemia de COVID-19, el trabajo y el aprendizaje a distancia (RWL) han ganado más importancia. Métodos: En este estudio se persiguieron dos objetivos. En primer lugar, analizar cómo el académico de educación superior (HEA) y los estudiantes usaron RWL durante COVID-19 y cómo manejaron los desafíos de RWL. Esta investigación utilizó un enfoque cuantitativo para lograr sus objetivos. Un total de 480 estudiantes y 394 HEA fueron reclutados a través de muestreo aleatorio. La recolección de datos se llevó a cabo mediante dos cuestionarios de desarrollo propio. Resultados: Los arreglos de RWL son satisfactorios tanto para HEA como para los estudiantes. Tanto HEA como los estudiantes están de acuerdo en que RWL alivia el estrés laboral y maximiza el tiempo en familia. Teniendo en cuenta los resultados de la encuesta, es evidente que las prácticas de RWL están fuertemente respaldadas en la era de COVID-19. Conclusión: RWL es esencial para trabajar durante la fase de recurrencia de la pandemia de COVID-19. Proporciona trabajo y aprendizaje sin parar a HEA y estudiantes. HEA y los estudiantes aceptan altamente RWL y la favorecen durante el período de recurrencia particular de COVID-19. La transición de la instrucción cara a cara a un entorno virtual completamente funcional (RWL) requerirá tiempo y experiencia. Por lo tanto, se recomienda que el gobierno haga un plan adecuado para la agitación futura extrayendo lecciones de esta crisis impreversa y proporcionando programas de capacitación para la preparación de RWL.

Onsite versus home-office: differences in sleep patterns according to workplace.

Background and objective: This study aimed to evaluate the sleep patterns of students and employees working onsite versus those working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic using actigraphy. Methods: A total of 75 students/employees (onsite: N = 40, home-office: N = 35; age range: 19-56 years; 32% male; 42.7% students, 49.3% employees) were studied between December 2020 and January 2022 using actigraphy, a sleep diary, and an online questionnaire assessing sociodemographics and morningness-eveningness. Independent-sample t-tests, paired-sample tests, and a multivariate general linear model adjusting for age (fixed factors: sex and work environment) were applied. Results: Overall, onsite workers had significantly earlier rise times (7:05 [SD: 1:11] versus 7:44 [1:08] hours) and midpoints of sleep (2:57 [0:58] versus 3:33 [0:58] hours) on weekdays compared to home-office workers. Sleep efficiency, sleep duration, variability of sleep timing, and social jetlag did not differ between the groups. Discussion: Home-office workers showed a delay in sleep timing that did not affect any other sleep parameters such as sleep efficiency or nighttime sleep duration. The work environment had only marginal impact on sleep patterns and thus sleep health in this sample. Sleep timing variability did not differ between groups. Supplementary Information: The online version of this article (10.1007/s11818-023-00408-5) contains supplementary material 1 and 2, which is available to authorized users.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Remote Working and Coworking Spaces in Germany—Narrative Literature Analyses

The COVID-19 pandemic has been hit the whole German society and with that the way of working as well as the trend of coworking, as it happened similarly in other western societies. With information about governmental measurements, the world of work, mobility and transportation, people's behavior, companies' strategies, the real estate market, and changes in new working spaces from different sources this article creates a narration of immediate impacts, medium-term and long-run effects. Finally, this article aims to draw potential coming changes and further trends for coworking spaces. © 2023, The Author(s).

On the employment and health impact of the COVID-19 shock on Italian regions: a value chain approach

We evaluate the exposure of Italian regions to employment and the health risk associated with the spread of COVID-19. First, we estimate the degree of participation of Italian regions in a plurality of value chains linked to consumption, investment and exports. Second, we investigate the different levels of contagion risk associated with each value chain and the possibility of reducing such risk through remote work. We find that regions are affected differently by lockdown policies because of their highly heterogeneous embeddedness in different value chains, and their diverse sectoral contributions to each of them. © 2023 Regional Studies Association.

Working (and Living) During Corona Times and Implications for Planning and Mobility—The Case of Norway

The COVID-19 pandemic has relatively affected the Norwegian context and other Nordic countries (except for Sweden), considering the prudential authorities and policies adopted during the various waves of the virus. The capacity for remote working and high flexibility of working (already observed before the pandemic) have contributed to adapt to the changes. In this context, the study aims to explore the ways of working and living during the Corona Times and the implications for planning and mobility in Norway, considering the short-medium and long-term effects of the pandemic. First, the study presents an overview of the main impacts of the pandemic in the Nordic countries (such as mortality, labour market and absence from work, including the closure of workplaces), and second, it focuses on Norway, in light of the national measures. Then, the working related trends (for example, growth of demand of new working spaces and the increased number of workers in the public libraries) are discussed, as well as the major implications for our cities, such as new housing demands, commuting habits and transportation modes. Finally, an overview of the current debate within the Norwegian society shows the high interests of planners, other experts, and media in understanding the future of work, such as hybrid forms, new jobs, working remotely (but from where?). © 2023, The Author(s).

Therapy at the window: Can TA be "Framed"?

The author responds to Stilman's article in this issue of the Transactional Analysis Journal. He briefly discusses some of the issues he sees with online therapy from a TA perspective and raises some questions regarding the phenomenological, epistemological, and clinical implications and areas for further investigation related to bringing TA therapy into cyberspace. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Remote Working and New Working Spaces During the COVID-19 Pandemic—Insights from EU and Abroad

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the rise of remote working worldwide and less central areas have become more and more attractive for these workers. Consequently, remote workers started working from home, in new working spaces, and from everywhere. These changes have affected workers' wellbeing, and cities, peripheral are rural areas. The chapter explores why people decided to keep working remotely even after the pandemic restrictions were cancelled. Furthermore, we give an empirical snapshot of the actual situation of remote workers and how this has and will change geographical patterns. The impact of remote working on wellbeing is described, according to the literature, and some thoughts on how remote working affects the future of coworking spaces and hybrid spaces are presented. © 2023, The Author(s).

Introduction to the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Coworking

The current chapter introduces in detail the aims and structure of the book ‘European Narratives on Remote Working and Coworking during the COVID-19 Pandemic'. This introductory chapter depicts the importance of studying the phenomenon of coworking spaces (CSs) affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The literature on new working spaces, particularly CSs, is growing fast in various disciplines. During the past three years of the pandemic, some scholars have attempted to explore the short- and long-term effects on ways and spaces of working. This book is the first attempt to collect country-specific empirical studies from 12 European countries. © 2023, The Author(s).

The Impact and Complex Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Working Environment and the Use of Coworking Spaces in Malta

Coworking spaces in Malta have grown in their presence and use only within the last decade, yet the COVID-19 pandemic may have altered the cultural working office norms of Maltese society. Indeed, this chapter, using in-depth interviews with different groups of people, that is, co-worker owners, employees, traditional employers and members of an employment association, aims to explore how the pandemic may be impacting the coworking industry in complex ways. From the narratives, it emerged that the soft lockdown measures related to the pandemic had caused immediate negative effects due to the fear of contagion on the use of coworking spaces in Malta and the limitations related to social distances in workspaces. However, the pandemic itself may have created a shift within the Maltese context where the idea of remote working is perceived as beneficial and may become more popular. The pandemic may have contributed to the revision of the Maltese employers' priorities, such as the importance of owning or renting a permanent office space or giving permission to employees to work from home or renting a coworking space for socialisation at work. Therefore, the pandemic may have caused damaging short-term effects to the coworking industry in Malta yet possibly beneficial long-term effects. © 2023, The Author(s).

'Living at work': COVID-19, remote-working and the spatio-relational reorganisation of professional services in UK universities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the source of large-scale disruption to the work practices of university staff, across the UK and globally. This article reports the experiences of n = 4731 professional services staff (PSS) working in UK universities and their experiences of pandemic-related work disruption. It specifically focuses on a transition to remote-working as a consequence of social restrictions and campus closures, presenting both quantitative and qualitative findings that speak to the various spatio-relational impacts of PSS working at distance from university campuses. These survey findings contribute to a new narrative of work organisation in higher education which addresses the potential of remote-working as a means for boundary crossing, social connectedness and trust relationships in universities in the immediate context and strongly anticipated post-pandemic future.

The impact of remote supervision communication skills upon the remote working experiences among accountants during the COVID-19 pandemic

Employee turnover hurts the overall efficiency of organizations;this is especially true within the accounting industry. Work-life balance has always been an issue for accountants, and may be a cause for the high turnover rates experienced at accounting firms. Flexible work arrangements, including remote working, were thought to be a possible mediator to help solve this problem. Many researchers have examined this issue;however, the forced shift to remote work for all employees due to the COVID-19 pandemic offered a unique opportunity to examine accountants' perceptions of e-work. Using a sample of 100 accounting professionals, this study explored whether several factors influenced employees' perceptions of e-work, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study found that supervisor communication skills could influence the work-life balance factor of e-work. The study further found that the demographic factor of "years worked as an accountant" can influence employees' perceptions of e-work in general, and specifically concerning the factor of work-life balance. As we enter the post-pandemic era, accounting leaders can use these findings when planning the future work modes for their employees and the human resource department can utilize these results as they plan their supervisor training materials. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The Virtual Brain Drain in Turkey: A Qualitative Research on Remote Employees' Experiences in Foreign Firms

The virtual brain drain is an outcome of the strategies global companies have pursued around the world to gain a competitive advantage and reach more qualified employees, mostly with regard to better economical conditions. Virtual brain drain is a situation that occurs with no geographical displacement when considered in terms of cause-and-effect factors and is becoming more common in the world. Although the prevalence of a virtual brain drain has been associated with COVID-19 in consideration of its impact factors, this brain drain is also said to have started before COVID-19. In addition to the pandemic, however, employees' search for flexibility and the desire to meet their different expectations, especially with regard to economic status, have gradually enlarged and strengthened this phenomenon. This study aims to provide a framework for understanding virtual brain drain relevant researchers and policymakers by focusing on the experiences of employees working remotely for foreign companies. The research uses the qualitative methodology and collects data from 11 participants in six different Turkish cities through the e-interview technique. The study analyzes the obtained data using the descriptive analysis technique. According to the results obtained from the study, employees' job searches were observed to have been shaped around economic factors, flexibility, and issues arising from companies, with the factors affecting the work-life balance being expressed more frequently and having a guiding effect with regard to the virtual brain drain.

The Remote Working Genie is Out of the Office Bottle

Although remote working has been adopted in some firms for many years, it has been largely marginalized in the sense that the mainstream of software engineering practice has involved groups of software professionals congregating on a daily basis in centralized offices. However, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote working has rapidly become widespread. Companies and their employees have grappled with difficult adjustments during this transition, as might be expected in face of an international emergency. One suspects however that remote working will endure in some form in the post-emergency phase. Rather than merely coping as we do today, to be effective and sustainable, post-pandemic remote working will require a deep rethink of fundamental practice. This article provides some signposts to aid the journey from coping with remote work to thriving in remote working contexts. Author

Effects of Remote Working in Fortune 500 Global Companies

This study employs a descriptive documentary methodology to examine the impact of remote work on productivity and output among the largest global companies listed on the Fortune 500. The research focus is on the adaptability and effectiveness of remote work during the Covid-19 pandemic, and how it might be applied to other organizations in the future. The study draws on various secondary sources such as research studies, previous proposals, books, articles, and relevant content from the Fortune 500 companies. The findings aim to provide insight into how these large global companies have adapted to changes in the way of working, the challenges and opportunities that have arisen, and the potential implications for other organizations considering remote work in the future. © 2022 Universidad de Santander. All Rights Reserved.

Towards an ethical and trustworthy of virtual work environment in current workplace

It is constructed via community interchange philosophy, a research observes an impact related to relational or informational work environment over ethical business as well job involvement through corporate crises affected via pandemic of COVID-19. A works examination was conducted via freshly printed articles for locating studies concerning ethics of work environment and COVID-19 in current worldwide market. Including strategy of best practice with current circumstances, explain current learning basis, gap during practice & zones which might need improvement and further study. Outcomes indicate that to control such increase related to pandemic of COVID-19 did increase remoting working workplace with virtual work situation. Such outcomes can produce a necessity of experiential investigation for an impact related to virtual work environment as well as active behaviors for supporting such requirements or consequences related to persons that might be around red zone that or feeling misuse or abandonment although defensive, socially isolating and once occupied within a situation in social-distancing is mandatory. Research is established by analysis or assessment related to issued researches ae well as current workplace circumstances none of different forms of study. Small is common regarding ethical woke environment practice in era related to COVID-19, remote working, social-distancing or remote-working. research enhances body related to awareness within field. © 2023 University of Bahrain. All rights reserved.

Remote working during COVID-19 in Sri Lanka: lessons learned and what the future holds

Purpose: This paper aims to explore how Human Resource Management (HRM) practices were adopted to implement and manage remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic and identify whether and how remote working would/should continue in the future, in a developing and a unique cultural set up in the Asian context. Design/methodology/approach: The study was conducted using qualitative methodology with semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 26 Human Resource Professionals (HRPs) of different industries in Sri Lanka. The information was collected in two phases;at the initial stages of the pandemic during May–June 2020 and after one year and four months, in October–November 2021. Findings: The findings explain the different HRM activities executed by HRPs, such as employee engagement activities, setting guidelines, employee support, performance management and training, to make remote working successful when it was implemented as an emergency and involuntary work arrangement with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka. However, over time, the interest and interventions of HRPs appeared to have dwindled, and many companies are waiting to revert to on-site work when the pandemic situation settles. It appears that remote working will remain a transitory work arrangement to respond to crises or exceptional circumstances rather than a permanent work arrangement for many companies in Sri Lanka. Originality/value: The study contributes to and expands the knowledge of HRM in managing remote working during and beyond the pandemic in a developing Asian country perspective and the suitability of remote working and HRM practices for specific national cultural contexts. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Is physical co-presence a prerequisite for Durkheimian collective effervescence? Reflections on remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic

This paper explores why it is that so many of us regard virtual communication technologies as imperfect substitutes for co-present organisational interaction. In so doing, it invokes Durkheim's concept of collective effervescence;that is, the bonding phenomenon experienced between people in physical proximity. Initially, ethnographic data are presented from a Scottish commune known as the Findhorn Foundation, where the word ‘energy' is widely used by participants to describe the feelings associated with co-present interaction. Macrosocial data are then drawn from the ‘Return, Reimagine, Reinvent' series of reports published by McKinsey & Co. which documents remote working experiences during the pandemic. Both data sets suggest that even in an era of advanced virtual connectivity, physical co-presence remains a prerequisite for collective effervescence. Furthermore, the data reveal that while virtual connections are useful for routine communication, our sense of collective effervescence must be periodically ‘recharged' by means of intermittent physical assembly. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Digitally Transforming Organisational Cultures: Ensuring Enhanced Innovation in a Remote Working World

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought with it dramatic environmental changes, forcing organisations to adopt digital technologies on a wider scale, under significant time pressure. While the pandemic tested the agility and resilience of organisations, team dynamics and the implications of virtualisation on collaboration and creativity have become increasingly important for research (George et al., 2020) as the daily working routines in which employees have been embedded in for decades have become disrupted. The abrupt move to "working from home” that the pandemic created is arguably the most significant organisational design change in our lifetimes. Organisations are now asking how the virtualisation of work has impacted on the collaboration and communication necessary for driving innovation behaviour, and what strategies are available to develop remote innovation solutions. In this study, we explore organisational culture theory against the backdrop of digitally transforming innovation development as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. This multi-layered model offers a useful framework for thinking about processes that foster innovation. By doing so, we investigate how organisations have adapted their approach to remote, collaborative innovation from the perspective of nineteen industry experts. The purpose of this study is to present the determinants of organisational culture to develop digital innovation in a hybrid working environment. Our findings reveal twelve distinct variables across the artifacts, values, and assumptions required to ensure digital innovation. These findings have implications for theory and practice, as it provides organisational leaders with a strategic understanding as to how a remote innovative culture can be developed, and subsequently exploited. © 2022, Academic Conferences and Publishing International Limited. All right reserved.