Remote work and the employment relationship in fragile socio-economic contexts: job demands, psychological needs and leadership support

Purpose This study examines how remote work reshapes the employment relationship in fragile socio-economic contexts, focussing on Lebanese professionals working for international organizations. Design/methodology/approach An interpretivist qualitative design was used, based on 20 semi-structured interviews analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis informed by JD–R and self-determination theory (SDT). Findings Fragility operates as a persistent meta-demand, transforming job demands into continuous pressures and weakening the effectiveness of resources. Workers engage in ongoing infrastructural labour while facing digital overload and visibility pressures. Psychological needs function as adaptive personal resources, supporting regulation under instability, while leadership acts as relational infrastructure. Resilience reflects the externalization of risk onto workers, and remote work also provides dignity, global belonging and future security, extending beyond existing frameworks. Practical implications The findings call for context-aware organizational practices, empathetic leadership and investment in infrastructure and labour protections to support sustainable remote work in fragile socio-economic contexts. Originality/value The study extends JD–R and SDT by conceptualizing fragility as a meta-demand and reframing psychological needs as adaptive resources, while highlighting how remote work redistributes risk within the employment relationship.