With 90% of organizations worried about employee retention, if your leadership team is wondering how to keep talent in the building, they’re not alone.
Employee retention is more than just preventing people from quitting; it requires making your organization an attractor for talent. It’s not good enough to simply pacify your employees; you need to engage them, challenge them, support them, and make their work worth showing up for.
How can you do this? By harnessing the power of employee motivation.
“When employees perform in an environment that is specifically crafted to their unique needs of motivation, they tend to be more fulfilled and happy,” shared Krista Sheets, President of Competitive Edge, Inc. “I’ve seen it happen time and time again in our work. With these traits, productivity increases for the organization and employee satisfaction leads to long-term loyalty and dedication.”
Motivation can feel intangible; how do you understand what your employees are passionate about? After covering the basic needs of any worker—competitive wages, benefits, and security—you still might not be getting the most out of your team, just as they might not be getting the most of their work.
“Most adults cannot correctly explain what their strengths are,” said Suzie Price, author, consultant, podcaster, and founder of Priceless Professional Development. “If they don’t know where they excel, how can they find work that motivates and fulfills them?”
This is where assessments come in. Using a science-based, accurate assessment tool like the 12 Driving Forces® can bring clarity and cohesion to the understanding of all involved.
“Assessments give language to let people describe their passions and needs in their work,” Price explained. “When they understand what they need, people can look for positions that will fulfill and excite them instead of just taking any job. I see the direct effect of motivation every single day in my work.”
Now that you know how to measure employee motivation, it’s important to understand why you should focus on motivation in your organizational retention efforts.
Employees who received high-quality recognition on the job were 45% less likely to have left that job between 2022 and 2024, according to Gallup.
When someone feels seen in the workplace, they will more deeply engage with their work. Feeling seen goes beyond receiving praise for work; it involves a true understanding of someone as a person and knowing what makes them tick. When a job addresses an individual’s passions and supports them within the role, they know the organization cares about what they need and want in their work.
“If you don't pay attention to the individual motivations of your people, you risk losing them and the true value of your organization,” said Sheets. “There must be strong alignment with the organization's culture and the business decisions it makes. People embrace those decisions when they feel authenticity, not manipulation. Designing a reward and recognition strategy for each person's unique needs for fulfillment is critical to foster trust and maintain retention.”
A study from BMC Public Health found that occupational stress significantly increases the risk of employee turnover.
Stress is a substantial problem in too many workplaces, and it contributes to burnout, job dissatisfaction, interpersonal conflict, and, ultimately, higher turnover.
The good news is that this problem is fixable! When workplaces actively address stressors and invest in their employees, their teams are more supported, engaged, and involved in their work.
Leaders can create environments that align with their employees’ values by offering opportunities for skill development, recognizing contributions, or promoting flexible work policies so people have time for their outside interests. Digging into employee motivation with assessments lets organizations know where to invest, focusing on the right benefits for the right people. When you understand what motivates a person, you can build their working experience around those deeply held principles.
After surveying over 20,000 workers around the world, analyzing 50 major companies, conducting scores of experiments, and scouring the landscape of academic research in a range of disciplines, we came to one conclusion: Why we work determines how well we work—Harvard Business Review.
Company culture is more than a buzzword: it’s a crucial factor for employee retention and engagement.
“Team members have to have a sense of belonging in order to feel valued in an organization,” said Sheets. “To do that, leaders must first understand and work from areas of strengths and uniqueness. From this, a culture can be designed to encourage individuals to build strong connections with others at work. These friendships are a foundation for trust and care of others, and this formula leads to long-term employee retention.”
Finding the Right Fit
One of the most beneficial aspects of using assessments to understand employee motivation is the way it helps with role alignment. If an employee positively contributes to the company culture but isn’t a good fit in their current role, you don’t have to fire that person. You can look at their Motivators as well as their skillset and see if they would be a better fit in a different position.
“People want to do well, and it all comes down to job fit,” said Price. “Getting to be enthused and involved in the work requires a strong understanding of motivation. If you have a passionate person, you can shift the job role or a position’s responsibilities, and it’s worth it to have someone get to do what they do best.”
This approach allows organizations to build a robust internal talent pipeline, which helps with engagement, onboarding costs, and employee loyalty.
Employee retention isn’t just about keeping people on the payroll—it’s about creating a workplace that fuels engagement and motivation.
By understanding and leveraging what drives each team member, organizations can enhance job satisfaction and ultimately foster a workplace culture that employees are proud to be a part of. Investing in assessments helps leaders align roles with personal motivators, paving the way for better job fit and personal fulfillment.
This approach doesn’t just improve retention; it transforms your workplace into a dynamic environment where people are motivated to contribute, collaborate, and thrive. Prioritizing employee motivators isn’t just good for retention—it’s the foundation of a successful, resilient, and loyal workforce.
If you want to harness the power of motivation in your organization, TTI can help. Contact us here to find out more.