Factor structure and psychometric validation of the Work and Well-being Inventory.

BACKGROUND

This study examined psychometric properties of a novel measure of occupational health and wellness - the Work and Well-being Inventory (WWI). Unlike other validated measures of employee well-being, the WWI adopts a holistic, eight-dimension model of wellness, delineates personal wellness from employer-supported wellness, and is straightforward to interpret.

METHODS

Participants (n = 949) were a convenience sample of employees from four large behavioral health organizations across Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, and Texas. As part of a broader wellness initiative, employees at all levels across each organization were invited and encouraged by organizational leadership to complete a web-based, self-report survey, administered via Qualtrics, over a 2-week period in spring of 2022 or summer of 2023. Employee participation rates ranged from 41 to 81%, depending on organization. Analyses focused on evaluating factor structure of the WWI with confirmatory factor analysis using separate developmental and validation groups. We also assessed convergent and discriminant validity by correlating subscales with established measures of related constructs.

RESULTS

The final inventory contains 106 items comprising 16 subscales which can be administered independently of each other (eight "personal" wellness dimensions and eight "employer-supported" wellness dimensions). This model demonstrated good fit to the data and internal consistency. Patterns of correlations between subscales and external measures were consistent with theoretical expectations, supporting both convergent and divergent validity of constructs.

CONCLUSION

The WWI is a validated measure of employee well-being that adopts an "eight dimension" model of wellness. Factor structure and model fit statistics support flexible administration and parsimonious interpretation of eight subscales directly corresponding to eight dimensions of wellness. The instrument has utility for researchers investigating occupational health promotion and organizations seeking to evaluate initiatives designed to improve employee wellness, retention, and workplace culture.