Employee Well-being in the Digital Age: A Study on Microsoft Teams Users

Background: The use of technology, such as Microsoft Teams, became the new normal during the pandemic, especially in the IT and education sectors. Recognizing the effect of technology on users’ well-being, which, according to Self Determination Theory, is dependent on the fulfillment of their basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), and how this effect may vary across different factors, this study compares basic psychological need satisfaction in Microsoft Teams users. Based on the Motivation, Engagement, and Thriving in User Experience Model, the levels of need satisfaction are compared across three user experience levels, also known as spheres (interface, task, and life). Further, comparisons are made based on the users’ profession (IT employees and college teachers), and the device type (smartphone, laptop, and desktop). Method: A cross-sectional study of 120 Teams users was conducted to collect data. Mann Whitney U Test, Friedman Test, and Kruskal-Wallis H Test were employed for the comparisons, along with the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test and Mann Whitney U Test for post-hoc analysis, as needed. Results: The results revealed significant differences in need satisfaction. Competence satisfaction surpassed autonomy and relatedness satisfactions in all three spheres. Further, IT employees experienced higher need satisfaction than teachers, and smartphone users experienced more need satisfaction than laptop users. Conclusion: The study underlines the need for technology design that caters to different levels of user experience, professions, and device types, while providing Teams designers with valuable insights.