Validation of the Workplace Compassion Scale for the Portuguese Population

Abstract: Workplace compassion has been recognized as a key resource for employee well-being and organizational functioning, yet valid instruments for its assessment remain scarce in Portuguese contexts. This study aimed to validate the Workplace Compassion Scale (WCS) in a sample of 455 higher education professionals (67.7% female; M = 44.23 years; SD = 9.44). Confirmatory factor analysis supported a second-order hierarchical model with four interrelated dimensions (Noticing, Empathizing, Sensemaking, and Acting), reflecting a sequential process of compassion that involves recognizing suffering, emotional connection with it, making sense of its causes, and taking action to alleviate it, showing good model fit. Internal consistency was excellent for the total scale (α = .91) and acceptable to good for subscales. Test–retest analyses confirmed temporal stability for the total score and three of the subscales. Evidence for nomological validity emerged from positive associations with self-compassion. Nomological validity was partially supported, with trivial associations for climate soothing-safeness/drive, a near-zero association for the WCS total scores with emotional exhaustion, and an inverse association between Acting and emotional exhaustion. At the same time, small positive correlations with work–family conflict, burnout total, and climate threat indicate nomological complexity that warrants further investigation. Unexpected positive associations with work–family conflict suggest that compassion may also involve empathic strain or role spillovers. Overall, the Portuguese WCS demonstrates strong psychometric properties and offers a theoretically grounded, practical tool for investigating how compassion operates in organizational settings. Its application can inform interventions aimed at fostering well-being, reducing strain, and cultivating compassionate work environments. Future research should further examine these associations to clarify whether they reflect contextual pressures, empathic strain, or cultural specificities in the Portuguese higher education sector.