Workplace adoption of wearable devices: insights into Greek employees’ intentions and usage trends

Purpose This study aims to investigate the factors influencing Greek employees’ intention to adopt wearable devices in the workplace, focusing on privacy management and trust. It addresses the organizational challenges of balancing innovation with employee concerns about surveillance and data protection. Design/methodology/approach Based on Privacy Calculus Theory, extended with trust, a research model was tested through a large-scale survey of 2,243 employees in Greece using structural equation modeling. Findings Perceived effectiveness of privacy policies, control and benefits strongly predicted adoption intention, while privacy concerns and risks acted as barriers. Trust showed limited direct effects, with its influence primarily operating through indirect relationships. The model explained 46% of adoption intention variance. Practical implications The findings highlight the importance for managers to design transparent privacy policies, strengthen employee control over data and build organizational trust to facilitate wearable integration into HR and productivity practices. Originality/value The study extends Privacy Calculus Theory to organizations, introduces institutional variables such as privacy policy effectiveness and clarifies trust’s indirect role. It provides new insights from a regional context rarely examined.