Virtual meet-ups: A purported mechanism for the 21st century work culture

Purpose: Covid-19 has forced corporate, institutions, organizations both Government and non - Government to re- think the way they work and where they work. There is both more inclusivity and greater diversity. The paper attempts to study the acceptance of the virtual platform, its magnitude and the sustenance with regards to various sectors of the service industry in India. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study uses the Technology Acceptance Model as a basic model to explore the effects of variables like perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, facilitating conditions and social influence on the intention to use various virtual platforms. Furthermore, the impact of social and facilitating factors adapted from Unified Theory of Acceptance and use of Technology has also been considered to study the effects on the attitude towards using these platforms. The paper is a questionnaire based primary research where convenience random sampling has been used and Exploratory Factor Analysis has been run on number of items. Findings: The study has shown how performance has the magnifying effect on the intention to use virtual platforms for work related tasks. Originality/Value: The insights from prior studies on the impact of work from home arrangements do not extend to the current context since these arrangements were mostly limited to a select group of workers and/or organizations and were often self-selected. The study gives concrete reasons for the adoption and sustenance of the virtual platforms.