Employees' acceptance of wearable devices: source of innovation in corporate HR policies

This article is an attempt to fill a gap in the field of IoT by investigating a new scope of application: the use of wearable devices as a source of innovation in corporate HR policies. To this end, we need to examine the various aspects of the question, i.e. technology, potential self-trackers, and occupational context. To conduct this research, we also rely on the Technology Acceptance Model, which aims to show how users come to accept and use a technology. The model suggests that when users are presented with a new technology, a number of factors influence their decision about how and when they will use it, among which usefulness and ease of use of the device. Therefore, we try to demonstrate that IoT and more precisely, wearable devices, offer a strong potential for supporting individuals' efforts to better take responsibility of, be involved in their own health and wellness, which have for consequences to boost the development of the "smart health" concept in the workplace. We believe that the use of wearable devices and the practice of self-tracking in a health and wellness perspective may support both objectives. We therefore suggest that introducing IoT in the workplace as part of their HR strategy contribute to build a competitive advantage from their human resources. Our aim is be to provide recommendations for companies willing to engage in this new approach. However, the pivotal element in this endeavor lies in the readiness, willingness, and acceptance of employees to engage in the self- tracking practice. Therefore, our guiding question will be: are employees likely to adopt wearable devices, and how driving them to practice self-tracking in the workplace?