Justice and Fairness

This week we discussed:

• fairness
• practical implications of justice perceptions
• legal issues in staffing decisions
• articles
• reactions to others' mistakes
• fairness, feelings, and ethical decision-making: consequences of violating community standards of fairness
• Gig- poultry factory worker, film development assistant

fairness- an individual's view of the extent to which he/she is being treated fairly will influence the emotional and behavioral reactions of that individual to the work environment

justice- a framework for looking at an organization

trust- belief in how a person or an organization will act on some future occasion/behavior

Reaction

Most of the information we reviewed in these two chapters, articles, and Gig made sense. If someone feels they are being treated unfairly, they usually retaliate. All of these materials back up that statement. One thing I did learn was that people usually feel less angry, happier, etc. after their unethical behavior stemming from a perceived injustice. 

Analysis

There are many instances in which as an employee (or potential employee) I have felt wronged. One particular instance was when I applied for an internship with an Omaha-based advertising firm. They responded to my application immediately, requesting samples be sent. I sent my samples and then never heard from them again...until I e-mailed the contact person inquiring about what decision had been made. His response via e-mail? "You didn't make the cut." In class we discussed that if you are going to reject an individual, you need to give them a decent reason for that decision. When you don't, that's when people perceive the situation to be unfair. This ties in with a concept we learned:

interactional justice- concerned with the sensitivity with which employees are treated and linked to the extend that an employee feels respected by the employer; the extend to which people are treated with respect, politeness, and dignity

• addresses the explanations provided to people about procedures and outcomes

Reflection

It is important for employers to do their best to be fair during their decision-making processes. This means they have to have a just corporate policy and stick to that when making decisions. When dealing with people in terms of hiring and firing- be understanding and warm.