New Opportunities for Connection: Managing Employee-Organisation Relationships in the Metaverse

Hilke Steenkamp, Zayed University
Amna Bulhoon, Zayed University

Document Type

Book Chapter

Source of Publication

Organisational Behaviour Communication and Digitalisation in A Changing World

Publication Date

6-7-2025

Abstract

This chapter explores the emergent dynamics of the metaverse and its implications for organisations and employee relations from a public relations viewpoint. It identifies the nascent stage of metaverse adoption by major multinationals and distinguishes between its consumer and commercial applications. The conceptual research highlights the potential future necessity for smaller organisations to navigate employee-organisation relationships (EORs) within this digital sphere, despite the lack of extensive public relations studies on EOR management in the metaverse. Guided by questions on the extension of EOR theories to the metaverse and the identification of features within the metaverse that facilitate EOR management, the chapter contributes a theoretical discussion. This is achieved through surveying public relations literature and academic sources on the metaverse. It focuses on relationship management theory, the concept of EOR, and how EOR is managed in virtual work contexts. The chapter also presents case studies from Takeda, BMW, and Accenture, applying a virtual care-based management framework to the metaverse and positioning it as a new relational and communicative space wherein EOR is enacted.

ISBN

[9783031874161, 9783031874178]

Publisher

Springer Nature Switzerland

First Page

9

Last Page

32

Disciplines

Business | Communication

Keywords

Care-based ethics, Employee-organisation relationships, Metaverse, Public relations, Relationship management

Scopus ID

105022345791

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

Link to Full Text

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