Purpose - This study aims to examine the relationship between an implicit and an explicit measure of motivation and measures of job and life satisfaction to provide a better understanding of workplace motivation. Design/methodology/approach - A survey is to be administered to 113 workers from a broad community sample. The survey contains measures of implicit motivation (multi motive grid-short version, MMG-S) and explicit motivation (needs assessment questionnaire, NAQ), job satisfaction and life satisfaction, and the core self-evaluation scale. Findings - Two types of confirmatory factor analyses allow us to examine the psychometric properties and convergent and discriminant validity between an implicit measure of motivation and an explicit measure of motivation. The data reveals that the implicit motivation variables assessed by the MMG-S are operationally distinct from those assessed by the explicit NAQ. A more detailed analysis reveals poor discriminant validity originating from the MMG-S variables. Regression analyses are conducted to assess the concurrent validity of both measures in influencing job and life satisfaction. Results reveal that although explicit motives are significantly linked to changes in satisfaction, implicit motives are not. Research limitations/implications - The study uses a cross-sectional design and therefore the results may be affected by common method variance. The study uses a convenience sample of workers. Originality/value - This study contributes to the understanding of explicit and implicit measures of motivation and encourages managers consider how they assess the motivation of employees at work.