Automation of work tasks presents both opportunities and challenges for social workers, whose roles are heavily reliant on human interaction and emotional engagement. In this study we investigated motivational implications of automation in the social services sector through the lens of self-determination theory. Using data from a large-scale survey of 6309 social workers in Sweden, we examined differences in work motivation, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions between those working with and without automation. Automation was associated with lower levels of self-determined motivation and job satisfaction, and higher turnover intentions. Mediation analyses revealed that automation negatively predicted job satisfaction and positively predicted turnover intentions through self-determined motivation. Although automation may enhance efficiency and alleviate administrative burdens, its current implementation seems to undermine social workers’ self-determined motivation. Our findings underscore the importance of designing automation that supports employees’ self-determined motivation, and we offer practical recommendations for implementing automation while supporting social workers’ motivation.