Virtual fun in a virtual workplace: employee socialization for “work from home”
Benchmarking: An International Journal
ISSN: 1463-5771
Article publication date: 16 January 2023
Issue publication date: 1 December 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This paper introduces “virtual fun at the virtual workplace” and conceptualizes its impact on virtual socialization and the formation of virtual professional ties. The conceptual model also recognizes the moderation of a few variables: “awareness of being observed,” “diversity in the virtual workplace” and “virtual impression management.”
Design/methodology/approach
The paper takes a theoretical approach to develop a conceptual framework of virtual fun in the virtual workplace, drawing on social exchange theory (SET) and social network theory (SNT).
Findings
The study extends the tenets of the SET and extends the applicability of SNT to a virtual workplace. The study suggests that managers should introduce semi-organized virtual fun during scheduled breaks within work hours to aid in virtual socialization, which further aids in the formation and strengthening of “professional ties” in the virtual workplace.
Originality/value
This study is the first of its kind to conceptualize a model for virtual fun in the virtual workplace.
Keywords
Citation
Ghosh, K., Sinha, S. and Sharma, D. (2023), "Virtual fun in a virtual workplace: employee socialization for “work from home”", Benchmarking: An International Journal, Vol. 30 No. 10, pp. 4632-4650. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-11-2021-0637
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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