WEMS – measurement of work experiences
WEMS (Work Experience Measurement Scale) contains statements of experiences of work and work situation, to which the employee responds. The statements were developed from theories, which can be linked to e.g. a sense of coherence, flow, regenerative work, demand-control-support and effort-reward. The contents are close to the daily activities, and as the statements are formulated in a positive way, the result can be interpreted from a salutogenic perspective.
WEMS contains six dimensions of work experience: supportive working conditions, internal work experience, autonomy, time experience, management, and reorganization.
The instrument is comparatively brief; it has 32 statements for the respondent to consider using six Likert-type response alternatives from "Totally agree" to "Totally disagree ". Example of opposite statements:
| Totally agree | Totally disagree | |
| I feel that my work is meaningful |
WEMS has been tested in empirical studies with good results. An extensive report on the development process and the quality analysis of WEMS is presented in the scientific article:
Nilsson P, Bringsén Å, Andersson HI, Ejlertsson G. Development and Quality analysis of the Work Experience Measurement Scale (WEMS). WORK 2010; 35: 153-161.
Read more on WEMS in the Extensive report.