Disruption in Tech Sectors; Rethinking Motivation from an Employee Perspective During COVID-19 : An exploratory multiple case study that aims to analyze the changes in the underlying factors of employee motivation during and after the transformation to re

Abstract: Background: The unplanned entrance of the COVID-19 pandemic caused an imbalance in organizational stability, directly leading to the introduction of widespread hybrid workplaces. This caused new challenges for employee efficiency, engagement, and well-being due to the lack of adequate strategy and resources. As the distinction between home and office blurred, motivation became difficult to maintain using traditional approaches, and organizational focus on non-standard domains, such as personal life, health, and family, became essential. Purpose: The establishment of a theoretical framework that analyzes the motivation factors and their underlying pillars of tech employees during and after the unplanned transition to remote work.  Method: The study follows an epistemological interpretivist and ontological relativist grounding. By using semi-structured interviews following the Theoretical Sampling approach, qualitative data was created and a multiple case study was conducted. Conclusion: The research developed a framework including a trichotomy of motivation factors to extend employee motivation to a remote work environment. The study concluded that the quality of a work-life balance, the communication-chain, and employee health are the key drivers of tech employee motivation during and after the transition. The results highlight the need for these three factors in further hybrid work environments, as well as the importance of the employee’s choice of where to conduct their responsibilities on a daily basis.