PurposeIn the modern world, life satisfaction has become a quintessential construct for large-scale organizations, and a valid measure to evaluate employee life satisfaction is required. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the satisfaction with life scale (SWLS) in a sample of employees working in the Indian manufacturing sector.Design/methodology/approachSurvey method was used for data collection among a sample of 404 employees. Further, the psychometric properties of SWLS were evaluated with reference to reliability and validity assessment (face, content and construct validity).FindingsThe results were found to be significant for SWLS to assess the life satisfaction of employees working in manufacturing organizations in India.Originality/valueThis study attempts to validate SWLS among employees, which is a novel contribution in the field. Also, it suggests that effective application of SWLS can help in identifying and understanding the work-related factors associated with life satisfaction.