Unlocking the Success to Remote Employee Motivation: Insights from Merck KGaA’s Post-COVID Journey

Abstract

The global pandemic has drawn attention to remote work models, not least fuelled by the discussion of advantages related to work productivity, energy efficiency, and cost savings. Maintaining a large workforce of office employees, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany (later referenced as Merck KGaA or Merck), applies these labor forms to a great extent through its flexible workingguidelines governing the framework conditions of such arrangements. However, recent studies emphasize the adverse impacts of enforced remote settings on employee motivation, which is linked to the increased isolation of Merck’s employees during the pandemic. Consequently, this study aimed to investigate the factors affecting post-pandemic remote employee motivation and identify improvement areas based on the needs satisfaction analysis of the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) by Ryan and Deci (2000). To support those efforts, a case study method was applied, which included multiple data collection methods involving self-observation, internal documentation, desk research, and five qualitative interviews with a cohesive team working at the company. The study found that hybrid arrangements are preferred over fully remote work due to the importance of interpersonal communication and relationship building. Based on mediation through the working context and individual factors, a layered model of remote employee motivation was developed to address the unsatisfactory dimensions of the investigated needs by improving networking, communication, and teamwork alignments.