Abstract
Smart technology in the area of the Internet of Things (IoT) that extensively gathers user data in order to provide full functioning has become ubiquitous in our everyday life. At the workplace, individual’s privacy is especially threatened by the deployment of smart monitoring technology due to unbalanced power relations. In this work we argue that employees’ acceptance of smart monitoring systems can be predicted based on privacy calculus considerations and trust. Therefore, in an online experiment (N = 661) we examined employees’ acceptance of a smart emergency detection system, depending on the rescue value of the system and whether the system’s tracking is privacy-invading or privacy-preserving. We hypothesized that trust in the employer, perceived benefits and risks serve as predictors of system acceptance. Moreover, the moderating effect of privacy concerns is analyzed.
Highlights
The rapidly increasing use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology accompanies our everyday life, simplifying and accelerating diverse processes
Applying smart technology for the purpose of electronic monitoring in the workplace means a profound invasion of privacy [4], as power relations are unbalanced between management and staff, as employees usually do not have decisional power regarding the deployment of IoT technology, the intended purpose of the monitoring, the kind of information to be tracked, its storage and utilization
Monitoring system deployed at the workplace. This means that employees who have a trusting relationship with their organization will more likely accept the deployment of an IoT system, even if the system is capable of collecting their personal data
Summary
The rapidly increasing use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology accompanies our everyday life, simplifying and accelerating diverse processes. IoT devices, called ‘smart technology’, are able to interact with people, with other devices and with their environment, exchanging information with intelligent algorithms enabling automated decision-making. Smart technology (smart buildings, process automation etc.) is deployed, amongst other things, for staff security (e.g., smart emergency detection systems) or for competitive reasons (e.g., protection from corporate espionage). Applying smart technology for the purpose of electronic monitoring in the workplace means a profound invasion of privacy [4], as power relations are unbalanced between management and staff, as employees usually do not have decisional power regarding the deployment of IoT technology, the intended purpose of the monitoring, the kind of information to be tracked, its storage and utilization. It is essential to understand how employees perceive smart monitoring technology capable of data tracking and what factors contribute
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
