2021.08.19 Hyundai MOBIS
New Employees, Come to Metaverse!
Company joining training, work training… all can be done untactly, so don’t worry and go to work.
December 2019, with the sudden advent of COVID-19, the whole world went into a panic because everything we took for granted became means to contract the virus overnight. Shopping, eating out, travels, meetings, sales, development… industries and economies all stopped, and the employment market got hit with the biggest damage.
Employment briefing sessions, meetings, internship, new employee OJT, and most processes required for hiring/employment are carried out with many people in a single space. It’s efficient and effective. So, since the social distancing, companies that need hiring and people who are looking for jobs were at a loss. At first, they delayed and cancelled the schedules, but with COVID-19 being prolonged, the companies had to come up with a new measure.
The Clock Doesn’t Stop when It Comes to Getting a Job
After many trials and errors, companies found a way; ‘untact.’ With active use of IT technology, they have all respectively established systems to seek out appropriate talents. They share employment information via online employment briefing sessions and online recruits, and at the same time, the employment screenings were transitioned to online aptitude tests, AI job capacity evaluation, online interviews, etc.
According to a study, 49% of the companies took on the untact employment screening in 2020, and this year 53.6% companies are to implement untact employment screenings. Untact employment screenings are becoming typical especially among large companies and public companies that are high in demand from the job seekers. 47.5% out of the 524 job seekers said that they had taken the online aptitude test, and 32.1% said that they had taken the AI job capacity test; the stats show that the untact employment screening will be expanded further. Fortunately, the job seekers are responding well to this. In a study conducted in May by a research institute, 1,486 job seekers were asked about the untact employment screening, and 56.4% of them answered ‘positive.’ Their reasons included ‘thanks to no spatial and time limits, it’s efficient,’ ‘we can reduce the risk of getting contaminated with the virus,’ ‘there’s less pressure about the test,’ etc.
A Virtual World for the Next Generation Talents
These days the employment market is experiencing a ‘metaverse’ craze. Metaverse is a combined world of ‘Meta,’ which means ‘virtual or transcendence,’ and ‘Universe.’ It refers to a 3D virtual world that is exactly like the realty. It goes further than the virtual reality (VR). Its traits include making use of avatars and enjoying social, economic, and cultural activities just like in the real world.
Metaverse came to be known when Linden Lab’s game ‘Second Life’ became a hit in 2003. Then with the commercialization of 5G, it became popularized. 5G plays a big role in spreading metaverse as it has advantages with ultra-high speed, ultra-connection, and ultra-non-delay. Then the pandemic took place, and an untact lifestyle became the norm; now it’s getting real attention. Model platforms include Gather.town, ZEPETO, etc.
The reason why companies are focusing on metaverse is clear. Yes, they are trying to keep pace with the untact trend that was triggered by COVID-19, but it’s more about winning the hearts of MZ generation, who are interested in new experiences. That’s why many companies are using metaverse in general aspects of HR services such as employment briefing session, interviews, new employee OJT, etc.
There are also many companies that are carrying out new employee OJT in metaverse. Auditoriums, lecture halls, lounges, restaurants… similar spaces that resemble those of the real world are established in the metaverse environment to provide various training programs. Hundreds of new employees communicate with their colleagues with their avatars at the virtual training center, enjoy mini games and Relay Mission, etc. to establish comradeship and devotion to the company.
Hyundai Mobis Reinforces Their Metaverse Employment
Hyundai Mobis joins the crowd. They added the ‘metaverse experience’ and ‘untact online trip’ to their 1st half new employee training schedule which was very well received by the new employees. This program was designed to develop mutual intimacy and bond among new employees who were working from home due to COVID-19 and encourage them as they were experiencing their first social life.
The ‘metaverse experience’ was carried out in ZEPETO. New employees personally experienced metaverse and understood the structure and concept of metaverse; shared ideas about using metaverse for work; and had the time to think about how metaverse can influence our work and lives. Also, they created avatars that reflect their personalities and tastes to have an indirect opportunity to promote themselves. Completing the group snap shot mission also led them to get closer to their colleagues.
The ‘untact online trip’ is a travel program that connects you to an expert guide abroad via YouTube live. New employees chose their destination among famous European cities such as Barcelona, Prague, and Istanbul and enjoyed a 2-hour online trip. Lively footage, quality commentary, and rich storytelling made the experience very fun. Above all, real time chatting with the guide allowed them to share information on local food, culture, etc., which made it seem like they were really on a trip.
So far Hyundai Mobis has been carrying out group training and summer Jejudo island training camps for new employees. But they are flexibly changing their training method and contents, to keep up with the changing social atmosphere due to ‘COVID-19, MZ generation,’ etc. The ‘metaverse experience’ and ‘untact online trip’ could be examples of such changes. Hyundai Mobis plans to make use of metaverse contents to add programs for observing major company facilities such as workspaces, research labs, and driving test centers, to seek various ways to communicate with the MZ generation at their eye-level.
Hyundai Mobis opened a digital studio ‘THE STUDIO M.’ inside the Yongin technology research center last year to create a creative and flexible company culture. Online concerts, augmented reality (AR) launching shows, real time product promotion, etc. were held here to realize various contents fitting for the trend of the untact era.
They say that those who discover opportunities amidst crisis are the ones who survive. At the moment, we are struggling during a huge crisis called ‘COVID-19’ but ironically are observing a great leap in state-of-the-art technology. As the stagnant employment market is regaining vitality with the power of technology, won’t our lives also be soon revitalized with detailed technology? We are looking forward a hopeful future as many young new talents begin their new journey.
Suggestions for you
Hyundai Motor Group at the Seoul Mobility Show
2023.04.21 11min read