Why do capable people stop going the extra mile?
Nearly six in ten employees are “quiet quitting,” doing enough to keep their job but no longer bringing real energy or initiative to it. It shows up in small ways at first: not speaking up in meetings, not volunteering, projects that lose momentum, until it’s costing real productivity, innovation and retention.
This practical, hands-on workshop gets managers and team leaders to grips with what actually drives human motivation. Using the seven human needs at work, they’ll learn to spot the specific gaps in their own team and turn that understanding into more meaningful, effective conversations, not generic leadership tips that treat everyone the same.
We recommend:
In-person or online
6hrs
Up to 15 people
What you’ll learn & do
This workshop empowers your teams to:
- Understand what truly motivates people at work, beyond generic engagement advice
- Master the seven human needs at work, and identify where your team’s biggest opportunities sit
- Prepare for more meaningful, effective one-to-one conversations that actually boost performance
- Build personalised strategies for each team member, not a one-size-fits-all approach
- Explore how AI can help decode team feedback and surface real, targeted engagement actions
94%
of participants would recommend our workshops
Who is this workshop for?
- Teams with slipping engagement scores, quiet quitting, or managers struggling to motivate people
- HR or L&D leads wanting a practical, evidence-informed framework for motivation, not generic leadership tips
- Managers who treat everyone the same way, when what the team actually needs is a more personalised approach
- Anyone who’s run Thriving Teams and wants to go deeper on individual motivation
What this workshop offers
- Built on real human needs, not trends. The seven human needs at work, evidence-informed and built to last beyond the latest engagement fad.
- Learning that lasts. Every participant gets access to the Productivity Ninja® Academy.
- A format that fits. 6 hours, in person or live online, for up to 20 people.
- AI as an ally. Practical ways AI can help decode team feedback and recommend targeted actions that strengthen morale and connection.
- Built to stick. Add an Impact Clinic 1 and 3 months later to keep new habits alive.
What you’ll do
In today’s increasingly complex, multi-platform world, teams are asking: “What are the rules?” With email, Slack, IM, You’ll start by getting a genuine understanding of what motivates people at work, the seven human needs that sit underneath engagement, disengagement and everything in between. From there, you’ll identify exactly where your own team’s biggest opportunities are, rather than guessing or applying the same approach to everyone.
You’ll prepare for real one-to-one conversations, the kind that actually shift how someone feels about their work, and build personalised strategies for each team member’s specific motivation. This session pairs well with Thriving Teams if you want to go even deeper on culture alongside individual motivation. You’ll leave with an action plan built around real people, not a generic engagement checklist.
What happens when engagement is understood
When managers understand what actually drives their people, everything changes:
- Quiet quitting reverses, because people feel genuinely seen, not just measured
- One-to-ones become real conversations, not status updates
- Team members get stretched in the areas they’re actually motivated by, not a generic development plan
- Emotion and connection become part of how the team works, not something to switch off at the door
- Managers stop treating everyone the same, and start leading each person the way they actually need
University of Exeter
“Asking people about what they think they’re best at, and finding ways to stretch them in that area was most insightful.”
Calum MacLeod
Benefits & results
The most immediate benefit is clarity: managers leave knowing exactly where their team’s engagement gaps actually sit, not a vague sense that morale could be better. But the deeper shift is relational. Once managers understand what genuinely motivates each person, one-to-ones stop being status updates and start being real conversations.
What your organisation gets
Managers who lead people as individuals, not a single approach applied to everyone. Less quiet quitting, stronger one-to-ones, and a culture where emotion and connection are part of how the team works, not something people have to switch off.
Welsh Government
“It helped me realise it’s okay, and actually a benefit, to use your emotions at work rather than trying to switch them off. I think senior managers need to undertake this training.”
Workshop Participant
Why it matters
Disengagement doesn’t announce itself, it shows up as silence: fewer people speaking up, volunteering, or pushing to improve how things work.
– Quiet quitting spreads almost like contagion, and by the time it’s visible, it’s already cost momentum and morale
– Generic engagement advice treats every person the same, when what actually drives someone is often highly individual
– Without personalised one-to-ones, managers miss the specific gap between what a person needs and what they’re getting
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes. Many organisations book this workshop because engagement is slipping, motivation feels low or teams are struggling after periods of change. The session helps people understand the root causes of disengagement and what practical steps they can take to shift the culture.
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We use a simple, human-centred framework built around the seven core needs people have at work. It’s evidence-informed, easy to understand and designed to connect real behaviour with real outcomes.
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Yes. Senior leaders play a critical role in shaping culture and engagement. The workshop helps them understand what genuinely drives motivation, how to remove blockers and how to create the conditions for people to thrive.
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Very. Participants reflect on their own team culture, identify engagement blockers, explore the seven human needs at work and build actions they can implement immediately.
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Yes. We discuss how to recognise the signs of engagement and disengagement, how to have better conversations and how to make small, meaningful changes that improve outcomes.