Employees will need to take more care with their avatars in the future, according to a new report.
Analyst firm Gartner has predicted that by the end of 2013, 70 per cent of enterprises will have issued guidelines to their staff about behaviour and dress code when it comes to using an avatar associated with the company.
"As the use of virtual environments for business purposes grows, enterprises need to understand how employees are using avatars in ways that might affect the enterprise or the enterprise's reputation," said James Lundy, managing vice president at Gartner, in a statement.
"We advise establishing codes of behavior that apply in any circumstance when an employee is acting as a company representative, whether in a real or virtual environment."
Gartner encouraged businesses to trial using avatars, but advised them to help users learn to control their digital selves by educating users on reputation management and extending codes of conduct to virtual environments.
However, the analyst firm added that businesses must recognise that users will have a "personal affinity" with their avatars, and take pride in personalising its appearance.
-
Should AI PCs be part of your next hardware refresh?AI PCs are fast becoming a business staple and a surefire way to future-proof your business
-
Westcon-Comstor and Vectra AI launch brace of new channel initiativesNews Westcon-Comstor and Vectra AI have announced the launch of two new channel growth initiatives focused on the managed security service provider (MSSP) space and AWS Marketplace.
-
Nearly half of all digital initiatives still fail – here’s how you can learn from the ‘digital vanguard’ and deliver successNews With most digital initiatives are failing to deliver, CIOs are urged to work more closely with other executives
-
IT services spending set to surge in 2025 as CIOs shift to AI partner solutionsNews Organizations are set to shift from buying generative AI solutions to implementing partner solutions, according to Gartner
-
Businesses still don’t know who’s accountable for AI at executive levelNews Executives are unclear on where the buck stops in terms of AI management
-
Gartner reveals the top trends for government technology use in 2024News Five key areas that public sector CIOs will need to address to improve citizen services
-
Return to office mandates can be divisive - here are three things business leaders can do to help smooth the transitionAnalysis With return to office mandates having sparked major spats between workers and employers, leaders need to consider how they can make changes attractive and effective
-
Global IT spending set to reach $5 trillion in 2024 amid optimistic industry outlookNews IT spending growth in 2024 is expected to be more than double that of 2023
-
What will drive IT spending in 2024?In-depth Generative AI spending is unlikely to be high despite the hype, but sustainable technology will become a bigger priority.
-
Half of jobseekers turned down offers last year amid growing demands on employersNews An increasingly competitive talent landscape means employers are being forced to offer a wider range of incentives
