W.A.V.E. maps what you value in your work — and what your work is actually delivering. The gap between the two is where engagement, purpose, and wellbeing are won or lost.
Free · About 5 minutes · No account required
What Is W.A.V.E.?
People don't leave jobs — they leave misaligned jobs. When what you value at work doesn't match what your work provides, engagement drops, burnout rises, and purpose fades.
W.A.V.E. gives you a clear picture of both sides: your six core work values, and how well your current role delivers them. The overlap — and the gaps — tell the real story.
Grounded in nationally representative research of over 10,000 employees across all generations and industries.
What You Will Discover
How It Works
For each of the six work value dimensions, rate how important it is to you personally — what you need from work, not what your employer expects.
Rate how much your current role actually delivers each dimension. These two sets of ratings reveal where you're aligned — and where meaningful gaps exist.
Your dual-line radar chart, a gap analysis ranked by urgency, a peer comparison by generation, and personalized narrative feedback.
The Six Dimensions
Research identifies six core reasons people work beyond financial compensation. Together they describe the full landscape of what makes work meaningful, engaging, and sustainable.
You strive for excellence, competence, and a sense of accomplishment. Achieving challenging goals and improving your skills is deeply motivating.
You need the freedom to innovate, think independently, express your creativity, and try out and pursue new ideas.
You enjoy helping others and making a meaningful contribution beyond yourself. Doing socially useful work matters deeply to you.
You need to work in supportive, cohesive environments. Teamwork and the feeling of being part of something larger than yourself are important.
You seek stability, predictability, and harmony in work and in life. Job security, a predictable workload, and work-life balance matter to you.
You work hard to earn respect and influence. Being recognized for your contributions and having influence on decisions is important to you.
How It Was Built
W.A.V.E. translates decades of research on work motivation and values into a practical tool for self-understanding. The six dimensions reflect what the organizational literature consistently identifies as the core domains of meaningful work.
Its comparison data is drawn from a nationally representative study across all generations and industries — segmented by generation for meaningful context.
The Assessment
Rate your values, rate what your work delivers, and receive your dual-line radar chart with a full gap analysis.
W.A.V.E. Assessment
You'll rate your work values, what your job delivers, and answer a few questions about your broader work experience. About 5 minutes — be honest throughout.
About 5 minutes · No account required
Step 1 of 4 — What I Value
Rate how important each dimension is to you personally — 1 (not important) to 5 (essential).
Step 2 of 4 — What Work Provides
Rate how much your current role actually provides each dimension — 1 (not at all) to 5 (completely).
Not currently working? Rate your most recent job.
Step 3 of 4 — Your Work Experience
Three questions about your broader experience at work — to give your feedback deeper context.
Rate each from Strongly disagree to Strongly agree.
Step 4 of 4
This one question shapes how your profile compares to others within your generation.
Sorted largest gap first. Unmet Need = value exceeds provision by 1+ point.
Bar = your rating · Tick = peer group average
W.A.V.E.™ (Work Alignment & Values Explorer). © Vic Strecher 2026. All rights reserved.