Studies on Quality of Work Life (QWL) have been standing out in recent years by organizations and the general concern with well-being. This study aimed to identify how professionals in a public institution perceive QWL and how they are affected within the organizational context, and to verify if the Walton (1973) model is adequate to evaluate the perception of QWL. This was a descriptive study that combined a quantitative step (n=337) with a qualitative step (n=31). Quantitative data were statistically analyzed, while qualitative data were treated by means of content analysis. The quantitative analysis of the data showed that there was no total understanding of the respondents about the questions on QWL. This nonconformity can be explained by the fact that Walton's (1973) scale, which is widely used in several QWL studies, measures only opinion, not perception.