Development of the work-related well-being questionnaire based on Seligman's PERMA model

Abstract

Drawing on recent research on determinants of subjective well-being, we developed and conducted a pilot study of an employee well-being questionnaire using M. Seligman's (2011) multidimensional PERMA model (Positive emotion, Engagement, positive Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment) model. Employees (N = 397) from postgraduate courses at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) completed a survey including 56 items which were theoretically relevant to the PERMA theory. Factor analyses recovered the expected five PERMA components and a negative emotion factor. Based on factor and reliability analyses, we reduced the 56 PERMA items to 35 items. Our results support the multidimensional approach to defining and measuring multidimensional well-being. A multidimensional well-being assessment may be useful for understanding employees' well-being, which can then be applied when developing policy and practice to increase well-being for all employees at work.