The Metaverse Office: Reconfiguring Professional Identity in a Virtual Workplace

The concept of the workplace has been shifting from fixed, physical locations to fluid, immersive virtual environments. As organizations increasingly adopt remote and hybrid work models, the emergence of virtual offices challenges traditional perceptions of workspace structures and their role in shaping professional identity. The Metaverse office is a persistent, avatar-mediated space for real-time collaboration, that opens new possibilities for employees and organizations, while at the same time introduces new aspects of professional life. In this research-in-progress, we explore how professional identity is constructed and expressed within Metaverse-based workplaces, focusing on when work is conducted exclusively in virtual settings. The study positions the Metaverse office not as a digital replica of the physical, but as a constitutive space where identity, status, and therefore organizational culture are produced and reimagined. The paper contributes to Information Systems and Organizational Studies literature by offering empirical insights into the changing nature of professional identity in the Metaverse.