Title: Powering Up Employee Motivation through Personalized Processes
In the new year, as business leaders, we can utilize the past lessons to guide our teams toward success with a focus on improving employee motivation. Despite a decline in global employee engagement (down to 71%) since pre-pandemic times, this fresh start offers an opportunity to address this issue by tailoring motivation strategies.
To foster a truly inspired and motivated workplace in 2025, one must go beyond superficial people data. This calls for processes that allow businesses to gain a deeper understanding of their team members, no matter the company size. Leeatt Rothschild, the CEO of Packed with Purpose, offers insightful methods to accomplish this with her company's intentional onboarding process.
The founder of a corporate gifting firm incorporates fun and serious questions into the onboarding survey, gaining genuine and revealing responses. By asking about favorite treats, spicy snacks, and tools needed for success, Rothschild empowers the team to tailor birthday celebrations, work acknowledgment, and onboarding experiences.
Though onboarding sets the stage, the process doesn't stop there. Employers should look to establish at least two additional intentional touchpoints throughout the year for updates and preference check-ins. These touchpoints can take the form of open-ended, manager-led conversations or AI notetaker-assisted casual discussions.
For larger corporations, leveraging AI notetakers and centralized employee profiles can help scale the data collection process. By prioritizing meaningful questions, arming leaders with essential insights, and consistently using this information to deliver personalized rewards and recognition, organizations can promote motivation and productivity at scale.
Research from Gallup suggests that employees value authentic and individualized recognition most. Consistent, personalized gestures—like thoughtful thank-you cards or favorite treats—paired with periodic recognition from the CEO can cultivate a culture of appreciation.
To achieve this, businesses must focus on fostering a genuine connection with their team by learning their preferences, values, and motivations. By doing so, employees feel valued, understood, and connected, which unlocks their potential and fosters higher productivity and retention rates.
In a nutshell, the future of motivation relies on personalization and understanding the unique individuals driving your business's success. This entails empowering employees to share insights, ensuring transparency, offering individualized rewards, and providing frequent recognition. Incorporating these strategies not only improves productivity but cultivates a positive, engaging work environment.
Leeatt Rothschild, the CEO of Packed with Purpose, has been instrumental in implementing an intentional onboarding process for her company, which includes asking fun and serious questions to gain genuine insights about team members' preferences and motivations. In the quest to maintain high motivation levels, rothschild's methods could serve as a valuable source of inspiration for other businesses.
As businesses strive to create a more personalized and engaging work environment, they may want to consider incorporating Leeatt Rothschild's approach to employee onboarding, which leverages personalized questions to foster a genuine connection with team members and tailor rewards and recognition to individual preferences.
