Towards future of work in immersive environments and its impact on the Quality of Working Life: a scoping review

Abstract

In recent years, immersive environments and the technologies employed within them, such as Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR), have become increasingly significant, particularly in the domains of education, work, and entertainment. Moreover, the concept of persistent, immersive virtual worlds - commonly referred to as Metaverses - has gained attention due to advancements and opportunities in VR and AR. These immersive environments are transforming how we work, especially in communication, coordination, and collaboration. Hence, an important question that arises is how these environments influence Quality of Working Life (QWL). This study provides an overview of the effects of immersive environments on QWL. We conducted a scoping review following the framework by Arksey and O'Malley in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. The findings identify three major QWL topics influenced by immersive environments: (i) Mental Health, highlighting stress reduction and well-being enhancement; (ii) Safety & Prevention, emphasizing accident prevention and risk mitigation; and (iii) Workplace Design, focusing on improved ergonomics. We derive practical implications for QWL and provide theoretical implications to scoping reviews. While our study considered the short-term effects of such technologies as limitations, future studies should address the long-term effects of immersive environments on QWL.