The future of the physical and virtual workplace is the focus of a one-of-a-kind conference set to take place in the kingdom in November this year.
The ‘Future of Work: People Analytics and Human Resources (HR) in Metaverse’ will be organised by the Bahrain Society for Training and Development (BSTD) at the Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel on November 15 and 16.
“This conference will provide a great opportunity for HR leaders and others involved with an eye on the future to consider the required skills that people should attain to function in this virtual world,” BSTD president Dr Ahmed Al Banna explained.
“They will have to teach the workforce how to get the most out of it, through learning and development programmes.
“In liaison with speakers who are experienced and highly recognised in the field of people analytics in metaverse, as well as human resources, our desire for this conference is to serve as a platform of knowledge exchange and to inspire organisations to gain the necessary tools that help in increasing productivity and enhancing economic gains.”
The human resources development conference is aimed at C-suite executives and business owners, as well as technology professionals, policymakers and researchers.
The two-day event will be held under the patronage of National Oil and Gas Holding Company board adviser Dr Abdulhussain Mirza.
Speakers will include Artificial Intelligence Society president Dr Jassim Haji, Gulf University president Mohanad Alfiras and Bahrain Polytechnic head of school for ICT Dr Christos Gazoulis.
“The conference topic is a relatively new field in the region, but it is one that is growing rapidly,” conference chairperson Sara Abdin added.
“The fifth Industrial Revolution has arrived, and being able to make data-driven decisions is crucial to achieving success.
“People analytics is a relatively new field that is concerned with using data to measure and improve performance within organisations.”
Speakers will also address the idea of the ‘metaverse’ – a single, shared, immersive, 3D virtual space where humans interact and experience life in ways they could not in the physical world.
Many in the computer industry believe this is the next iteration of the Internet and large companies like Google and Walmart are already deploying virtual reality (VR) technology.
More than 17,000 VR headsets were used by Walmart to cut training time from eight hours to 15 minutes, without sacrificing effectiveness, according to the BSTD.
The inauguration ceremony will take place at 9am on November 15, with a speech by Dr Mirza, followed by a day of informative sessions. These include ‘Addressing the Real Needs of Millennials and Gen Z for Career Growth and Development’, ‘Impact of Metaverse in Education and Workspace’, and ‘Ethical Insights: People Analytics in Virtual Environments.’
On the sidelines of the conference, a competition will also take place amongst university students to determine the best research paper in people analytics and HR in the metaverse.
The BSTD, a non-profit organisation, was established in 1981 and then relaunched in 1991, and has more than 1,200 members in its roster.
naman@gdnmedia.bh
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