If you’ve ever wanted employees to actually use your recognition platform, you know the first hurdle is getting everyone set up without a bunch of manual imports and mistakes. This guide is for HR/IT folks and admins who want to connect Motivosity to their HRIS—so new hires show up ready to go, and nobody falls through the cracks.
I’ll walk you through the whole process: where it goes smoothly, where it’s a pain, and how to sidestep the annoying stuff. You don’t need to be a developer, but you do need admin access on both systems.
Why bother integrating Motivosity with your HRIS?
Let’s get this out of the way: if you’re still uploading spreadsheets of new hires into Motivosity, you’re making life harder than it needs to be. Integrating your HRIS means:
- New hires show up automatically in Motivosity—no one gets missed.
- Terminated employees get removed without you chasing down lists.
- Org chart, managers, and teams sync—a must for recognition to actually flow.
- You save hours every month (and avoid embarrassing “welcome” notes to ex-employees).
But, not every HRIS plays equally nice, and Motivosity isn’t magic. Let’s get into it.
Step 1: Make sure your HRIS is supported
Before you even log in to Motivosity, check if your HRIS is actually supported. Motivosity (motivosity.html) lists integrations for the usual suspects—BambooHR, UKG, ADP, Namely, Paylocity, Gusto, and a few others.
How to check: - Go to Motivosity’s integration docs or their admin portal. - Find the list of supported HRIS platforms. - If yours isn’t listed, don’t panic just yet—there are workarounds (more on that in a bit).
Pro tip: Even “supported” HRIS platforms might only sync basic fields. If you have custom fields, expect to do some extra setup.
Step 2: Prep your data in the HRIS
Garbage in, garbage out. If your HRIS data is messy, your Motivosity onboarding will be too. Before you connect anything:
- Clean up your org chart. Make sure manager fields are filled out, and reporting lines make sense.
- Standardize email addresses. Duplicate or misspelled emails cause sync errors.
- Verify hire/termination dates. Motivosity often uses these to know who’s active.
- Check team/department fields. If you want to recognize by team, these need to be set.
Don’t skip this step. You’ll save yourself hours of cleanup later.
Step 3: Set up the integration in Motivosity
Now the real work starts. Log into Motivosity as an admin and head to the Integrations section.
The general flow: 1. Select your HRIS. Pick it from the list of integrations. 2. Connect your account. Usually, this means entering API credentials or OAuth’ing into your HRIS. - For BambooHR, you’ll need an API key. - For ADP, expect a more complex OAuth flow. - For some HRISs, you might need to whitelist Motivosity’s IPs. 3. Map fields. Don’t just click “next”—double-check that the right fields are mapped (manager, department, email, etc.). 4. Set sync frequency. Daily is typical, but you can set it to real-time with some HRISs.
Honest take: The field mapping step is where most integrations go off the rails. If you have custom org structures or use non-standard fields, be ready to do some manual matching. If you get stuck, screenshot your mappings and send them to Motivosity support—they’re used to it.
Step 4: Test with a small group
Don’t roll this out to your whole company right away. Sync a test group (if your HRIS allows it) or at least double-check a few records after the first sync.
- Check that new hires appear.
- Verify reporting lines and departments.
- Make sure terminated employees are gone.
- Look for duplicate accounts—these usually happen if email addresses aren’t standardized.
Pro tip: Have someone from IT or HR spot check a few edge cases (e.g., recent promotions, name changes, rehires). Fix problems in your HRIS, not in Motivosity—otherwise, the next sync will just break them again.
Step 5: Roll out to everyone
Once you’re happy with the test group, do a full sync. Motivosity usually lets you force a manual sync if you don’t want to wait for the scheduled one.
- Communicate with your team. Let people know when they’ll get access, and what they can do in Motivosity.
- Monitor the first week. Employees will tell you if something’s wrong (“Why can’t I log in?”, “Why am I not on my team?”).
- Fix issues at the source. If someone’s missing, check the HRIS first. Motivosity is just mirroring what’s there.
Step 6: Keep it running (maintenance tips)
Integrations aren’t “set and forget.” Here’s what actually needs your attention:
- Monitor for failed syncs. Motivosity usually emails admins if a sync fails, but don’t rely on that—check in the admin dashboard weekly.
- Audit user lists monthly. Spot check for terminated employees still showing up, or new hires that are missing.
- Update your HRIS processes. Make sure HR knows to enter managers, teams, and emails correctly—otherwise, you’ll keep firefighting.
What doesn’t work:
Trying to “fix” org chart problems in Motivosity itself. Every sync will just overwrite your changes. Always fix upstream in the HRIS.
What if your HRIS isn’t supported?
If your HRIS isn’t on Motivosity’s integration list, you have two options:
- Manual CSV uploads. Not fun, but it works for small companies. Just know you’ll need to keep uploading every time there’s a change.
- Zapier or middleware tools. Some folks use Zapier, Workato, or custom scripts to sync users. This takes more technical know-how and rarely works 100% smoothly—expect to babysit it.
- Ask Motivosity support. Sometimes they’ll build a one-off connector if you have enough seats, or can recommend a partner who can.
Reality check: If you’re growing, it’s worth pushing your HRIS vendor—or your IT team—to expose an API or SFTP export. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck in spreadsheet hell.
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
Here’s where most folks trip up:
- Missing or duplicate emails: Standardize emails in your HRIS before syncing.
- Out-of-date org chart: If managers or teams aren’t set, recognition features are crippled.
- Inactive/terminated users lingering: Make sure termination dates are set in your HRIS.
- Custom fields not syncing: Only map what’s standard; extras usually need custom work.
Don’t waste time: Trying to force Motivosity to organize things differently from your HRIS almost never works. Make the HRIS your single source of truth.
Wrapping up: Keep it simple, and iterate
Connecting Motivosity to your HRIS isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to overcomplicate. Focus on getting the basics right—clean data, clear field mapping, and regular audits. Don’t spend weeks chasing edge cases or building custom scripts unless you really need them.
Start with the essentials, get the integration stable, and improve as you go. Most companies spend more time cleaning up messy org data than on the actual setup. So keep it simple, fix problems at the source, and let the systems do the heavy lifting.
Now go get those new hires recognized—automatically.