You’re No Longer on Mute: Social Norms, Generational Differences, Working-from-Home, and the Acceptance of Workplace Communication and Collaboration Technologies

Abstract

Due to COVID-19, there has been a radical shift in workplace configurations, with an increase in work-from-home and hybrid work environments. Given this shift, this study sought to understand the motivations for adopting workplace communication and collaboration technologies, including differences in generational and work-from-home configurations. Using an online, cross-sectional survey of full-time employees in the United States (N = 425), it was determined that while perceived usefulness and ease-of-use predicted technology adoption, it was subjective norms that exerted the most direct influence on behavioral intentions, which were positively related to job satisfaction expectations, employee engagement expectations, and perceived career growth opportunities. Finally, while there were no generational differences in perceived usefulness and ease-of-use, work-from-home and hybrid workers viewed technologies as more useful as well as more easy-to-use than in-office workers.