By studying multiple sources from many different domains, Dr. Lee identified 12 dimensions that characterize the fundamental elements of work. These dimensions are used to measure and characterise work, and serve as a way of organizing the work improvement actions.

The 12 Work Dimensions are:

 

# Dimension GWT Description
     
1  Compensation Material gains obtained from performing work. This includes salary or hourly wages, bonuses and benefits. Jobs with adequate compensation allow the worker to meet their basic needs.
   
2   Safety The degree to which workers are protected from physical harm. This includes both physical and physiological harm. Jobs with high levels of safety prevent short-term injury from accidents, prevent long-term effects, such as repetitive stress injuries, and allow workers sufficient time off to maintain good health. 
   
3   Social Interaction The degree to which workers interact with each other during work. Examples of social interaction may include talking to other workers, or just working together on tasks.
   
4   Variety The number of different tasks performed during work. This could include either performing different tasks during the day or working at different workstations.
   
5   Aesthetics Exposure to beauty and creativity during work. Beauty in the workplace can be expressed in adequate lighting, cleanliness, and access to views of the outdoors.
   
6   Feedback The amount of knowledge a worker receives about their own work performance. External feedback from management includes positive feedback when a job is well done, as well as constructive criticism when improvement is needed. Internal feedback results from work that is designed in a way that an employee is capable of seeing the impact of their efforts on the goals of an organization. 
     
7   Accomplishment and Status:  Feeling of satisfaction with one’s place in an organization. This dimension is composed of the worker’s internal feeling of accomplishment and external recognition of the worker having attained a position in an organization.
   
8   Demand:  Physical and psychological effort required to perform work. Physically demanding jobs are generally associated with manual labor or public safety. Psychological demand at a job may take many forms, from fast paced routine work on an assembly line to jobs with large responsibility and little authority.
   
9   Autonomy The degree of control workers are able to exert over their work by using their unique skills. Jobs with high levels of autonomy allow the worker to schedule and execute their work in the way they think is best.
   
10   Value The significance of a worker’s role to the broader organization and beyond it. High value jobs may be in organizations that serve an obvious public good, such as a paramedic. A high value job may also be one that has an obvious and direct impact on the success of the organization, such as CEO or controller. In contrast, low value jobs may be ones where workers assemble small electronic subassemblies which are shipped elsewhere to become a finished product.
   
11   Technical Growth Access to opportunity to improve work-related skills and career enhancement. Technical competence may be an initial requirement for being hired, but as the organization evolves, a job with technical growth potential may encourage workers to improve their technical skills through education or trade specific training. 
   
12 Personal Growth The degree to which work helps a worker further themselves according to their personal beliefs, values, and aspirations. Jobs with low personal growth potential may require a worker to do something that is in conflict with their values or hold them back from achieving their personal potential.