The Work and Meaning Inventory (WAMI)
What it is
The Work and Meaning Inventory (WAMI) is a brief self-report measure assessing the sense of meaning and purpose individuals derive from their work. It is grounded in the broader literature on meaningful work and eudaimonic wellbeing, and captures the psychological experience of work as purposeful, worthwhile, and aligned with one's values — rather than simply measuring job satisfaction or engagement.
The WAMI is particularly useful in occupational mental health contexts, where understanding an individual's relationship with work meaning can inform both therapeutic and organisational support.
How is it used
- Suitable for adults in current employment
- Takes approximately 3–5 minutes to complete
- Provides a total meaningful work score and scores on three subscales
- Can be used in individual therapeutic work to explore how work meaning relates to overall wellbeing, or in organisational settings to assess workforce meaning and its associations with burnout or engagement
The three subscales are:
- Positive meaning — the extent to which work is experienced as meaningful and significant
- Meaning-making through work — the degree to which work contributes to a broader sense of life meaning
- Greater good motivations — the sense that one's work makes a positive difference and contributes to something beyond oneself
What do the scores mean?
Items are rated on a 5-point scale from 1 (absolutely untrue) to 5 (absolutely true). Subscale scores and a total score are calculated by averaging the relevant items. Higher scores indicate a greater sense of meaning from work.
There are no clinical cut-off thresholds. Scores are best used to understand an individual's experience of work meaning and to track changes over time, particularly in contexts such as occupational therapy, burnout recovery, or career transitions.
Developer
The WAMI was developed by Michael Steger, Bryan Dik, and Ryan Duffy (2012).
References:
Steger, M. F., Dik, B. J., & Duffy, R. D. (2012). Measuring meaningful work: The Work and Meaning Inventory (WAMI). Journal of Career Assessment, 20(3), 322–337.