Roster Management access: If you joined Motivosity before September 2026, you may not see Data Sources, Needs review, or Update History under Setup → Team. Request access through the Help Widget or email support@motivosity.com. Until access is enabled, use your existing integration or bulk-upload workflow.
What is the Google Sheets Integration?
Use an authorized Google spreadsheet as a source of employee information in Motivosity. Availability depends on your account. Your connection and roster-source settings control how spreadsheet changes are imported and reviewed.
Also, we'll only sync your spreadsheet when changes have been made.
Before syncing: Correct employee data in the system that owns it. With Data Sources, field access and priority control which fields a source can update, and roster behavior controls how missing people are handled. Review the first run before applying changes.
Before You Get Started...
Please be sure you have the appropriate permissions from Google to access your spreadsheet. If you have any questions, please reach out to our Integration Team here: integrations@motivosity.com
Start Google Sheets setup
As a Motivosity admin, open Setup → Integrations → Connectors. In Browse connectors, search for Google Sheets and select Configure. If the connector is unavailable, open View Details and contact your Motivosity team about availability.
The screenshot shows an example account where setup is unavailable. In accounts where it is available, select Configure, then Authenticate account and authorize Google access. Use an account that can access the employee spreadsheet.
After authorization, use an existing spreadsheet URL or create a Motivosity-generated spreadsheet as described below.
Choosing an Existing Spreadsheet from Google Drive:
To connect to your existing Google Sheet, paste the URL of your Google Sheet in the Sheets URL box to link it to your integration.
To be valid, the URL must begin with https:// docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/.
Next, click "Save".
Once your Google Sheets connection is set up, ensure your linked spreadsheet matches our template. This ensures your data syncs correctly without errors.
You can also view our required file specifications here.
Review your spreadsheet before syncing. Added, changed, or missing rows are processed according to your roster-source settings.
Next, go to this section to finalize your connection.
Choosing a Motivosity Generated Spreadsheet:
If you don’t have an existing spreadsheet to link, you can have the system build one for you. Simply leave the Sheets URL field empty. When you click Create File, Motivosity will automatically generate a correctly formatted spreadsheet with your current active Motivosity users in your connected drive.
Next, to access the newly created file, click "View Your Google Sheet"
Review your spreadsheet before syncing. Added, changed, or missing rows are processed according to your roster-source settings.
While this file is already formatted to match our required file specifications, you can also view those details here.
Next, go to this section to finalize your connection.
File Specifications
Please name your tab Sheet1. Motivosity specifically looks for a tab named Sheet1. Data stored on any other tab will be ignored by the integration.
What Employee Information Will You Need?
When it comes to adding users, no matter how you do it, you will need the following information:
First Name - Users can add a preferred name when they set up their own profiles.
Last Name
Middle Name (Optional)
Email (Optional) - Each user must have either a unique valid work email address or a unique phone number, since one of these is required for sign-in.
Phone Number (Optional) - Each user must have either a unique valid work email address or a unique phone number, since one of these is required for sign-in.
Hire Date - Should be typed in as MM/DD/YY or MM/DD/YYYY.
Birth Date - Should be typed as MM/DD or MM/DD/YY or MM/DD/YYYY.
Supervisor - Supervisor email OR supervisor payroll ID
NOTE: You will always have at least one person with NO supervisor listed. This is the person who should be at the top of your org chart.
Title - A user's job title.
Department - The department within the company the user is in.
Country Code - Here is a Country Code List.
Payroll Id - A number that is UNIQUE to each user. If you don't have official Payroll Ids, you can simply use any unique numbers. We recommend something like 1001, 1002, 1003,... to get started.
Custom Field 1-5 (Optional) - Add a column for each Custom Field you'd like to include. List them in order using the headers Custom Field 1, Custom Field 2, etc.
Action - Leave blank
Run and review your sync
To return to a configured integration, open Setup → Integrations → Connectors, find it under Connections, and select Manage. Available settings and actions depend on the connector and your account.
If your account uses Setup → Team → Data Sources, create or review the Integration source for this connection. Configure roster behavior, field access, filters, schedule, and approval policy before the first run. Use Sync Now on the source and review proposed changes. Connecting an account alone does not mean its roster changes have been applied.
For accounts using the earlier roster workflow, select Sync from the connection where available and review the result in Team upload history. Follow the schedule shown for your connection.
Review how missing rows are handled before deleting anyone from the spreadsheet. With Data Sources, roster behavior and other membership sources determine whether a missing person is proposed for deactivation.
Troubleshooting Tips
Common Error Messages
"Save Fails: Invalid Request" Ensure your URL follows the required format. It must start with https:// docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ and include a valid Sheet ID segment.
"Sync Button Unavailable" or Authentication Errors Use the Re-authenticate button to refresh the connection. This re-runs the Google OAuth process and is necessary if your token has expired, consent was revoked, or you wish to switch to a different Google account.
Data Sync Issues
Rows Not Importing as Expected If your data isn't appearing in Motivosity, verify the following:
Tab Name: The data must be on a tab titled Sheet1.
Headers: Column names must exactly match the expected template names.
Validation: Ensure all required fields (First Name, Last Name, Payroll ID, and Email/Phone) are populated.
Identity & Duplicate Issues
Motivosity uses four primary fields to identify a user: First Name, Last Name, Email Address, and Payroll ID.
If you update two or more of these identifying fields simultaneously in your spreadsheet, the system will treat the entry as a brand-new person rather than an update. This can lead to Payroll ID rejections or duplicate accounts.
If you need to change multiple identity fields at once, we recommend manually updating the user’s profile within Motivosity first to ensure the records match before your next sync.