Further Examination of the Properties of the Workplace Well-Being Questionnaire (WWQ)

Abstract

Research into the well-being of individuals in the workplace has a range of important implications not just in terms of its potential economic impact, but also with respect to physical and mental health. Thus, measurement of workplace well-being is of considerable importance. Despite the apparent need for specific measurement tools for the workplace, there has been a lack of well constructed measures. The 31-item Workplace Well-being Questionnaire (WWQ) was developed to address this area of unmet need, with results from an initial analysis identifying four factors that could account for the majority of variance. The current study examines the validity of this measure of workplace well-being in a large sample of 7,717 individuals, using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Exploratory factor analyses provided modest support for the four-factor solution of the original WWQ, with two factors showing changes in their loading pattern, and several items loading on different factors when compared to the initial findings. Confirmatory factor analysis on a revised set of items/factors from the WWQ showed reasonable fit statistics, suggesting the need for a slightly modified structure of the measure. The variables of work type, gender and age were analysed against the new WWQ structure, with findings suggesting a relatively consistent pattern of responding across these factors. Based on the findings in such a large sample the WWQ can now offer greater precision of well-being measurement in the workplace across genders, as well as different ages and job types.