Employee Subjective Well-Being Questionnaire (PERMA+4) Test

Gauge how employees feel at work and how satisfied they are in about 2 minutes. Nine quick items reveal what is thriving, where stress shows up, and what to improve.
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Questions92 minutes
Hi! My name is Freudly, i am an AI therapist, I will give you an interpretation of the test after you complete it.
08:30
October 2, 2025
October 2, 2025
Material has been updated
15,845 views
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Verified by Daniel Hall
Psychologist with 25 years of experience
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How the Scales are Structured

example score
4/5
Economic Security (ES)
Measures an employee’s perceived financial stability and sense of protection from material risks at work and in the near future.
Low security
Moderate security
High security
12.4Low security2.53.4Moderate security3.55High security
A score of 4 indicates a high sense of economic security, reflecting generally confident expectations about financial stability with minimal perceived material threats.
example score
3/5
Physical Environment (PE)
Assesses how comfortable, safe, and well-equipped the employee’s physical workspace feels.
Needs improvement
Adequate
Favorable
01Needs improvement23Adequate45Favorable
A score of 3 indicates the physical workspace is generally adequate, with some aspects that could be improved to better support comfort, safety, or equipment needs.
example score
2/5
Growth Orientation (GO)
Measures an employee’s orientation toward learning, development, and openness to change at work.
Low
Moderate
High
01Low23Moderate45High
A score of 2 suggests a moderate growth orientation, with some openness to learning and change but not consistently across situations.
example score
2/5
Health (H)
Assesses the employee’s subjective physical and mental well-being in the work context.
Low
Moderate
High
01Low23Moderate45High
A score of 2 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting mixed or variable well-being with some signs of strain at times.
example score
2/5
Accomplishment (A)
Assesses how successful and accomplished a person feels in meeting their work goals and completing tasks.
Low
Moderate
High
01Low23Moderate45High
A score of 2 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a mixed sense of accomplishment with some goals met but overall satisfaction with results not consistently strong.
example score
3/5
Work Meaningfulness (WM)
Measures how meaningful and important an employee perceives their work to be in their life.
Low meaning
Moderate meaning
High meaning
01Low meaning23Moderate meaning45High meaning
A score of 3 indicates a moderate sense of work importance, suggesting the job feels somewhat meaningful but not consistently central or strongly significant.
example score
2/5
Relationships (R)
Measures how supported and valued an employee feels through connections with colleagues and management at work.
Low support
Moderate support
Strong support
02Low support34Moderate support5Strong support
A score of 2 suggests limited perceived support and fewer strong workplace connections compared with higher scores.
example score
2/5
Engagement (E)
Measures how absorbed and interested an employee feels in their work activities, reflecting motivation and flow-like engagement.
Low
Moderate
High
01Low23Moderate45High
A score of 2 indicates moderate engagement, suggesting some interest in work tasks but limited sustained absorption or flow.
example score
12/20
Externally Comparable (EC)
This scale measures how objective conditions (e.g., health, physical environment, and economic security) influence perceived job satisfaction.
Low
Moderate
High
49Low1014Moderate1520High
A score of 12 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting objective conditions are generally adequate but may include some areas that limit overall satisfaction.
example score
10/15
Internal Social and Need Fulfillment Well-Being (ISaNFWB)
Measures perceived support, sense of purpose, and progress toward goals at work as reflected in relationships, meaning, and achievement.
Low
Moderate
High
37Low811Moderate1215High
A score of 10 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting generally adequate relationships, meaning, and goal progress with some areas that may benefit from additional support or clarity.
example score
7/10
Internal Affective-Needs Well-Being (IANWB)
Measures the intensity of positive emotions and engagement an employee experiences in their work activities.
Low
Moderate
High
24Low57Moderate810High
A score of 7 indicates a moderate level of affective-need internal well-being, suggesting generally positive emotions and interest at work with some room to increase engagement.
example score
30/45
Overall Employee Subjective Well-Being Index (OESWBI)
Measures an employee’s overall subjective well-being at work, combining satisfaction, positive functioning, and workplace-related emotional experience.
Low well-being
Moderate well-being
High well-being
920Low well-being2133Moderate well-being3445High well-being
A score of 30 indicates moderate subjective well-being, suggesting generally stable functioning at work with some areas that may still benefit from support or improvement.
example score
3/5
Positive Emotions (PE)
Measures how often an employee experiences joy, pleasure, and other positive feelings in everyday work life.
Low
Moderate
High
01Low23Moderate45High
A score of 3 indicates a moderate level of positive emotions at work, suggesting a generally positive mood with room to strengthen day-to-day enjoyment.
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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

HR and People Ops
41%OF USERS
They use it to quickly gauge employee well-being, spot stress hotspots, and track the impact of new HR initiatives.
Team Leaders and Managers
34%OF USERS
They take it to understand morale and engagement in their teams and decide where support or workload changes are needed.
Employees in pulse checks
25%OF USERS
They complete it during workplace surveys to reflect how they feel at work and signal what helps or hurts their day-to-day experience.
BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.
RESULTS YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE

What You’ll See After You Finish the Test

Scale Results
— Explained Clearly
Your scores across each test scale, translated into plain, usable insights. Not just numbers, but what they actually mean for your daily life, emotional state, and overall well-being.
AI-Powered
Interpretation
A structured, clinically grounded explanation. Our AI analyzes patterns and relationships between scales to provide a coherent interpretation — without alarmist language.
Statistical
Comparison
See how you compare to others. Your scores are placed in a statistical context, showing percentiles and trends based on anonymized platform data to help you understand what`s typical.
Practical
Recommendations
Actionable guidance tailored to your profile. Receive clear, realistic suggestions you can apply immediately — focused on coping, self-regulation, and realistic next steps.
AI-Detected
Insights
Key patterns you might not notice on your own. Surfacing subtle connections in your responses that help you better understand what may be driving your current results.
Discuss with
an AI Psychologist
Clarify, reflect, and explore right away. Talk through your outcomes, ask questions, and explore meanings in a calm, non-diagnostic dialogue environment.
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Used in 52+ countries
Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you finish the test, your results will be compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of the benchmarks we use to place your score in context.
Economic Security (ES)
Average
3.4
Normal range
2.93.9
min.
1
max.
5
majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.
Physical Environment (PE)
Average
2.3
Normal range
1.62.9
min.
0
max.
5
majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.
Growth Mindset (GM)
Average
2.9
Normal range
23.8
min.
0
max.
5
majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.
Health (H)
Average
2.2
Normal range
1.33.1
min.
0
max.
5
majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.
Achievement (A)
Average
1.6
Normal range
0.82.4
min.
0
max.
5
majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.
The importance of work (Tiow)
Average
3.3
Normal range
2.73.9
min.
0
max.
5
majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.
Relationships (R)
Average
2.2
Normal range
1.43
min.
0
max.
5
majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.
Engagement (E)
Average
3.4
Normal range
2.74
min.
0
max.
5
majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.
Visually comparable (Vc)
Average
9.1
Normal range
6.711.4
min.
4
max.
20
majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.
Social and needs-related internal (Sani)
Average
11.3
Normal range
9.613
min.
3
max.
15
majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.
Affective-need internal (Ai)
Average
5.6
Normal range
4.17
min.
2
max.
10
majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.
Composite Indicator of an Employee's Subjective Well-Being (CIoaESW)
Average
27.1
Normal range
22.531.7
min.
9
max.
45
majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.
Positive emotions (Pe)
Average
3.4
Normal range
2.64.2
min.
0
max.
5
majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.
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CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this questionnaire measure?
It measures subjective well-being in the work setting across positive emotion, engagement, relationships, accomplishment, and meaning, plus four additional workplace-relevant indicators. Scores summarize areas of strength and areas that may require support.
Who should complete it?
It is intended for employed adults completing a workplace climate or well-being assessment. It is not designed for clinical diagnosis or emergency screening.
How long does it take and how many items are included?
It includes 9 items and usually takes about 2 minutes to complete. Items are brief and use straightforward rating responses.
How should responses be completed?
Answer each item based on the typical work experience over the recent period indicated by the instructions. Select the response that best matches the overall pattern rather than a single unusual day.
How are results used?
Results can be used to monitor team well-being over time, evaluate changes after workplace interventions, and guide resource allocation. Interpretation is based on patterns across domains rather than a single item.
WHAT THE TEST MEASURES
About This Assessment
Employee Subjective Well-Being Questionnaire, PERMA+4 Test

Employee Subjective Well-Being Questionnaire (PERMA+4) Test - Symptoms and Signs

This measure is designed to assess employees’ self-reported well-being in relation to the work environment. The Employee Subjective Well-Being Questionnaire (PERMA+4) provides a brief snapshot of multiple domains relevant to psychological functioning and work experience.

It consists of 9 items and typically takes about 2 minutes to complete. Items reflect perceived positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, accomplishment, and additional workplace-relevant indicators, supporting use in organizational screening, needs assessment, and program evaluation.

The Employee Subjective Well-Being Questionnaire (PERMA+4) may be administered periodically to monitor change over time and to inform targeted supports at the team or organizational level. Interpretation is intended to be contextual and should consider workplace factors and other sources of information.

Author: ed-diener, martin-e-p-seligman
Literature: Seligman, M. E. P. Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Free Press. 2011.; Donaldson, S. I., & Donaldson, S. I. The positive functioning at work scale: Psychometric assessment, validation, and measurement invariance. Journal of Well-Being Assessment. 2021.; Donaldson, S. I., Donaldson, S. I., McQuaid, M., & Kern, M. L. The PERMA+4 short scale: A cross-cultural empirical validation using item response theory. International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology. 2023.
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