The present paper contains two investigations of employee and prospective job applicant reactions to different wearable device monitoring programs. In Study 1, 275 individuals evaluated vignettes describing three organizational wearable programs that differed in the purpose for monitoring and whether participation was mandatory. Compared to a program that monitors employees solely for the organization's benefit, programs that benefit employee safety and well-being resulted in more favorable outcomes, including more enthusiasm to participate, fewer turnover intentions, and less perceived invasion of privacy. This effect was more pronounced for participants who reported greater concern for information privacy. In Study 2, 128 nursing students evaluated a job description and three news stories that described different wearable programs. Participants reported significantly more organizational attractiveness and intentions to pursue employment after reading about programs that benefit employee safety and well-being than after reading about a program that solely benefits the organization. Participants' anticipated satisfaction of the need for autonomy varied relative to wearable program purposes, but anticipated satisfaction of the needs for relatedness and competence did not. Anticipated satisfaction of these basic psychological needs partially mediated the relationship between awareness of a wearable monitoring program and prospective job applicants' reactions. Concern for information privacy did not have a significant effect on prospective job applicants' reactions.
