Navigating the Sustainable Metaverse: Leveraging HRIS for Green and Responsible Innovation in India’s Virtual Work Environments

Purpose: This study examines how Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) can be strategically deployed to promote, monitor, and institutionalise sustainable and socially responsible practices within India’s emerging metaverse-enabled work environments.

Method: The study adopts a five-phase, mixed-methods design comprising a structured review of the literature on HRIS, green human resource management, and metaverse technologies; 45-minute semi-structured interviews with 17 senior HR, sustainability, and technology leaders; a 30-item survey administered to 347 professionals; two illustrative organisational case studies; and the development of a Green HR Metaverse Strategy Framework validated by 21 subject matter experts.

Findings: Technological readiness for metaverse-enabled HRIS has outpaced cultural readiness, evidenced by resistance among middle management and unresolved budgeting concerns. Generational differences shape perceptions of Web 3.0 technologies, with younger employees more optimistic than experienced professionals, who place greater emphasis on scientific validity and social implications. Privacy and continuity risks, together with cybersecurity concerns linked to decentralised architecture, were identified as significant barriers, while customisable climate simulations and biofeedback-enabled accessibility tools emerged as promising opportunities, provided their implementation is guided by inclusive governance.

Implications: The study offers practical and social implications by guiding organisations in adopting sustainable, privacy-conscious metaverse-enabled HR practices while promoting trust and inclusion. However, its focus on Indian enterprises, qualitative subjectivity, and the rapidly evolving metaverse ecosystem may limit generalisability and the longevity of some findings.

Originality: This is among the first empirical studies to integrate HRIS, green HRM, and metaverse adoption within a single strategic framework, offering both theoretical grounding and a practitioner-orientated roadmap for sustainable virtual workplace transformation.