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thrive at work/What is the Thrive Index?

Definitions · The measurement

What is the Thrive Index?

The Thrive Index by thrive at work is the combined result of two separate measurements — the Capacity Index and the Engagement Index — taken together in one 55-statement assessment. It is how capacity and engagement get measured together, rather than as two disconnected tools that never talk to each other.

Last reviewed August 2026
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2
indices combined: Capacity + Engagement
Thrive Index
8
domains, four per index
Thrive Index
0–100
score range, per domain and per index
Thrive Index
4
outcomes on the Thrive Matrix
thrive at work

The definition.

Most workforce tools measure one thing: how people feel about work. The Thrive Index measures two — how people feel (Engagement) and what they have left to give it (Capacity) — on the same 55-statement instrument, in the same assessment window, for the same employees. Each index is scored independently, then read together.

How the two combine.

The relationship is worth stating plainly, because it is the whole model in three lines.

Capacity Index

Can people sustain performance?

Energy, recovery, focus and resilience — whether people have the physiological and cognitive resources to keep delivering. See the Capacity Index.

Engagement Index

Does the organization motivate and enable contribution?

Enablement, leadership, growth and connection — whether the conditions for contribution exist. See the Engagement Index.

Together

The Thrive Index

One score for the organization, and — because the halves stay visible — a diagnosis of which one is constraining the other.

The two are not averaged into a blended number. Each is scored 0–100 on its own four domains, then cross-referenced, placing every team result on the Thrive Matrix — which shows not just how high the scores are, but which combination they represent.

The Thrive Matrix.

Crossing Capacity and Engagement produces four outcomes.

ThrivingHigh capacity, high engagement · top rightPeople have the resources to sustain performance and the organization creates conditions that support contribution.Primary responseProtect what works. Identify the strengths behind the position and preserve them through change.
CoastingHigh capacity, low engagement · top leftPeople have headroom and the ability to contribute, but the organization is not converting that capacity into engagement or discretionary effort.Primary responseFocus on leadership, enablement, recognition, growth, purpose and connection, not employee wellbeing as the default answer.
Burning outLow capacity, high engagement · bottom rightPeople remain committed and engaged, but their energy, recovery, focus or resilience is below benchmark. The visible engagement score may look reassuring while the workforce is being depleted.Primary responseAddress workload, recovery, work design and capacity. Do not respond with another engagement initiative.
DepletedLow capacity, low engagement · bottom leftBoth the human resources to perform and the organizational conditions for contribution are below benchmark. This is the danger zone.Primary responseSequence the fixes. Stabilize the most urgent capacity constraints while addressing the organizational causes; avoid another round of measurement without action.
See the visual model

The full matrix and worked examples are on the science page.

Why they must be measured together.

In every market Thrive has measured, engagement runs ahead of capacity by up to 10 points — and capacity explains up to 37% of the variance in outcomes like eNPS that engagement alone misses. An engagement-only score can look healthy for months while capacity quietly erodes underneath it.

Read the validation study

Full findings: the evidence base.

Method & sources.

This page defines the Thrive Index as the combination of two independently scored indices — Capacity and Engagement — each built from four domains and 55 total statements.

Figures are drawn from thrive at work’s validation study (n=10,000+, 2025–26).

  1. The Thrive Index methodology. Two indices, eight domains, 55 statements, one assessment.
  2. thrive at work — validation study, n=10,000+, 2025–26. The capacity gap and capacity’s independent explained variance.

Common questions

What is the Thrive Index?
The Thrive Index is the combined result of two indices — Capacity and Engagement — each scored from four domains in one 55-statement assessment. Together they place every result on the Thrive Matrix, showing not just a score but which of four outcomes it represents.
How is the Thrive Index different from an engagement score?
An engagement score measures sentiment alone. The Thrive Index measures sentiment and capacity together, which is why it picks up outcomes — like burnout risk and eNPS — that an engagement-only score misses.
How can capacity and engagement be measured together?
By using one instrument — a single 55-statement assessment covering both sets of domains in the same sitting — and scoring the two indices independently before reading them together on the Thrive Matrix.

See your organization’s Thrive Index.

Capacity and Engagement, measured together, on every team, every cycle.

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