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8 P's of Work™

A shared language for what people need at work, so managers can prevent unexpected leavers.

Try 8 P's of Work™

Shared with 440+ people in keynotes and trainings

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Diagram of the 8 P's of Work™: Pay, Progression, Prestige, People, Product, Personal, Policy and Power

What is 8 P's of Work™?

8 P's of Work™ is a science-backed framework and conversation tool.

It brings together 82+ years of motivation research in 8 themes, so people can name what they need, and managers can prevent unexpected leavers.

For managers
Relief.

1:1s get to the point with shared language about motivation needs, and people propose pro-active action.

For people
Clarity.

Direction for what they need, the words for it, and a clear next step for 1:1s and personal development plans.

For companies
Predictability.

Patterns and honest data to know where people budget and policy can make the biggest difference.

Try 8 P's of Work™

Why people leave unexpectedly

“89% of managers believe people leave for money. Only 12% actually do.”

Branham, L. (2005), 19 700 exit interviews, Saratoga Institute, US data

68%

68% of people leave for 'culture' and 'wellbeing', but no one calls it that. They describe it in 20 different ways, each one too small and scattered to measure. 

What you can't pinpoint, you can't measure.

Gallup. (2024), Employee retention & attraction, US data

33%

33% aren't fully honest when they leave. The reason depends on who's asking. As a company, you'll hear growth. As a researcher, it's workload. Anonymously, it's the boss. 

What you don't know, you can't prevent.

Hommelhoff, S., Keller, F., & Stemmler, M. (2025), Turnover reasons, German data

11%

Only 11% of Belgians report to feel engaged at work. Across Europe, 73% are not engaged, quietly quitting, and 15% are actively disengaged. 

That's a lot left unsaid.

Gallup. (2026), State of the global workplace, Belgian & European data
OTCHO's take: 'Pay' and 'Progression' are the reasons we have words for.The rest is difficult to pinpoint, called 'Culture'. 8 P's of Work™ gives it words.

82+ years of science, 8 P's of Work™

Academic literature has researched work motivation for over 82 years. 13+ models, even more theories.

And they all keep returning to the same 8 themes.

  • PayHow you're compensated
  • ProgressionHow you learn and grow
  • PrestigeHow you're perceived
  • PeopleThe people around you
  • ProductYour work and its impact
  • PersonalWhat fuels you outside work
  • PolicyHow work is organised
  • PowerAutonomy & ownership
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Sources

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396.Herzberg, F. (1959). The motivation to work (2nd ed.). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.McClelland, D. C. (1961). The achieving society. Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand.Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215.Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York, NY: Springer Science & Business Media.Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001). The job demands–resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 499–512.Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705–717.Reiss, S. (2004). Multifaceted nature of intrinsic motivation: The theory of 16 basic desires. Review of General Psychology, 8(3), 179–193.Gagné, M., & Deci, E. L. (2020). The evolving definition of intrinsic motivation: Advancements in self-determination theory. Motivation Science, 6(4), 346–355.Management 3.0. (n.d.). CHAMPFROG: A holistic model for understanding motivation. In Moving Motivators.

How it works

From one conversation to designing culture

Workshop participants practising the 8 P's language

Phase 01

Find the words

Clarity for people · Relief for managers

The problem. People can't always name what they need, and managers rarely have the time to figure it out together. The conversation falls flat, and the elephant is left unsaid.

What happens. In 5 to 8 minutes, people find the words for what drives them: their top 3 P's, a recommended focus and one next action they bring to their 1:1 themselves. The profile stays private. They choose what to share.

Relief. No more guessing, faster 1:1s and pro-active action for personal development plans. When people have the words, goodbyes can be prevented.

TRY 8 P'S OF WORK™
Chart showing motivation patterns across the 8 P's

Phase 02

See the patterns

Relief for managers · Predictability for companies

The problem. People don't always dare to say what they think, even in surveys. The data isn't honest, and the return on people budget is unpredictable.

What happens. Once a team shares the same language, you see what many people need at the same time. Patterns emerge, and this time they're honest, because people answer questions about themselves instead of doing a company evaluation. 

Predictability. You see what your team needs without anyone exposing themselves, and budget and policy go where they make the biggest difference.

Explore a pilot

Every pilot starts by agreeing on what success looks like, and which KPIs come with that.

Team designing next actions on a sticky-note wall

Phase 03

Design the culture

Predictability for companies

What you want. Everyone sharing the same picture of your company culture, and people taking initiative.

What happens. Every profile comes with recommended next actions by default. But now you can design them to match the culture you want, so every person's development plan is automatically linked to your intentions.

Culture, on autopilot. People take the next step themselves, in the direction your company wants to go. Design your culture once, then put it on autopilot.

EXPLORE AN (AUTO)PILOT

Frequently asked questions

What is 8 P's of Work™?

A science-backed framework and conversation tool that brings together 82+ years of motivation research in 8 themes.

It gives your people the words for what they need, so you can prevent unexpected leavers.

How does it prevent unexpected leavers?

Two things keep people quiet: not knowing what they need, or not daring to say it. 8 P's of Work™ helps with both.

Instead of you asking “how's it going?”, your people come to you with what they need and a next step to get there. And across your team, the data shows you the bigger patterns.

How do I use it in a 1:1?

It fits into the 1:1s and performance reviews you already have.

You don't need to prepare anything. Before the 1:1, your team member takes a 5 to 8 minute reflection and chooses one next action. In the 1:1, they bring it to you, and you start from there, not from “all good, thanks.”

For the best results, you can use it at the pace of your existing review moments (once or twice a year), while keeping it available for anyone who wants to find the words in between.

Is it an engagement survey?

No. Tools like Great Place To Work®, Peakon, SAP SuccessFactors or SD Worx Compass focus on how the company is doing.

8 P's of Work™ is about your people and what they need. Because they answer about themselves, not about the company, the data is more honest.

Is it a personality test or an assessment?

No. A personality test like Insights Discovery or DISC gives you a snapshot of who someone is, at one point in time. 8 P's of Work™ shows what your people need today, and evolves as their needs change. So your data and conversations stay up to date too.

Will I see my team members' results?

Only what they choose to share, and that's a good thing. Because their results stay private, people answer honestly. This way, you get to see the honest bigger picture instead of the picture-perfect answers.

Does it predict who is going to leave?

No, and that's by design. Protecting the individual is exactly what makes people open up. Instead of pointing at one person, 8 P's of Work™ shows you what your team needs as a whole, for groups of 10 or more. That's where you can make the biggest difference.

How long does it take?

About 5 to 8 minutes for your team member, and no preparation for you. The time you save is in the 1:1 itself: it gets to the point faster.

How do we start?

Start with yourself: take the 8 P's in 5 to 8 minutes and see what it brings up. Then, if you want to bring it to your team, we start with a small pilot inside the 1:1s you already have. We define what success means and how we'll measure it.

Start with one conversation

Try 8 P's of Work™