Justice in the work setting

Abstract

This chapter presents an overview of the roles of distributive, procedural, interpersonal, and informational justice in the relationships that employees have with their work organization and its members-referred to as organizational justice. We discuss the importance of organizational justice by adopting a thematic approach in which we highlight four important themes. First, we examine the role of justice in attracting and selecting new employees. Second, we zoom in on how justice can promote employees’ motivation to support the organization’s interests (i.e., in terms of in-role and extra-role performance). Third, we address the relevance of justice in the relationship of employees with their supervisors, focusing on how justice relates to various other leadership behaviors and on factors that predict the enactment of justice. Finally, we consider the role of justice for employees who leave the organization, such as in downsizing contexts.