Main Content

Justice @work

Justice is particularly important in the working context, where the reciprocal expectations of employers and their employees should reflect a fair balance of give and take. Employees perceive their organization to be just if: allocations of resources, such as tenures, are carried out in correspondence to the employee’s performance or seniority (distributive justice); employees have influence on organizational decisions and the implementation of changes (procedural justice); employees receive all necessary information (informational justice); and employees experience the social interaction with superiors as respectful and empathetic (interpersonal justice).

Perceptions of justice at the workplace are associated with higher job satisfaction and organizational commitment, fewer turnover intentions as well as better coping opportunities with uncertainty. A lack of justice also has detrimental consequences for health and is associated with increased workplace deviance. We explore the protecting role of various facets of justice considering various justice conceptions (organizational justice, belief in a just world).

Selected publications

Abas, N.A.H., Otto, K., & Ramayah, T. (2018). A supporting hand in dealing with interpersonal conflicts: The role of interactional justice. Asian Academy of Management Journal, 23. 79–99. Available from: http://web.usm.my/aamj/23012018/aamj23012018_4.pdf

Nudelman, G., Otto, K., & Dalbert, C. (2016). Can belief in a just world buffer mood and career prospects of people in need of risk protection? First experimental evidence. Risk Analysis: An International Journal, 36, 2274-2257. Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/risa.12588

Otto, K., & Mamatoglu, N. (2015). Why does interactional justice promote organizational loyalty, job performance and prevent mental impairment? The role of social support and social stressors. The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 149, 193-218. Available from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00223980.2013.866535?src=recsys&journalCode=vjrl20

Kurth, S. & Otto, K. (2012). Zufriedenheit mit und Aufrechterhaltung von freiwilligem Engagement: Organisationale Gerechtigkeit als Ressource in Abhängigkeit der Motivlage [Satisfaction with and continuance of volunteering: Organizational justice as resource depending on motives]. Wirtschaftspsychologie, 14, 20-29. Available from researchgate.

Otto, K., Baumert, A., & Bobocel, D. R. (2011). Cross-cultural preferences for distributive justice principles: Resource type and uncertainty management. Social Justice Research, 24, 255-277. Available from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11211-011-0135-6