Leadership & Management

Step 3: Fairness

Perception of fairness in the workplace has been identified as one of the most significant factors in employee mental health and job satisfaction. For example, some studies have shown whether an employee perceives that his or her workplace is fair in their decision making, can affect emotional and behavioural responses to future workplace demands. Moreover, witnessing unfair treatment of co-workers is also linked to an employee's perception of employers' decreased value and respect for their employees.

• Do I demonstrate equity and balance in rewards?
   
• Does the organization show impartiality in hiring and promotion practices?
   
• Do I support a just and fair workplace with a strong dispute resolution process?
   
• Create your own action plan
   
• Resources

Do I demonstrate equity and balance in rewards?

Action Plan

• Make fairness a core value and expectation of management and staff.
   
• Develop a Code of Conduct and post it at various points in the workplace such as the cafeteria, reception area, on the company's website, and/or added to the company's printed materials where feasible, especially on supplier/customer contracts.
   
• Make sure that all reports of unfair treatment are properly and promptly investigated.
   
• If you have a reward system, make sure every employee has a chance to participate.

Does the organization show impartiality in hiring and promotion practices?

Action Plan

• Establish hiring and promotion practices that are based on objective criteria.
   
• Encourage and support diversity in hiring and advancement within your workforce. Consider if certain groups are under-represented.
   
• Encourage promotion from within and develop a scorecard that can evaluate a candidate's skills and interview answers objectively. Help existing employees who applied, but were not successful, understand what they need to do to qualify for the next position.

Do I support a just and fair workplace with a strong dispute resolution process?

Action Plan

• Where possible, settle disputes by helping all parties maintain their dignity at work and with each other. Choose a response that applies to everyone. One example would be where an employee feels ridiculed or harassed by another. Rather than considering whether the employee overreacted or the other employee's behaviour was inappropriate, think about instituting rules about interactions that apply to everyone and avoid this type of behaviour. Of course this would not apply where the offence was significant, but in many cases, helping everyone feel that justice was served is a better long-term plan.
   
• Establish a process for resolving disputes. In the case of a large company, the process could be personified by an ombudsman, with appropriate mechanisms for review.
   
• Collaborate with the employee about the desired outcome of a complaint. Do not discourage complaints but rather focus on the outcome that the employee is seeking. Sometimes, trying to establish justice among co-workers can inadvertently create more hostility and animosity. Focusing on resolution rather than on blame often minimizes this risk.
   
• Work towards establishing a system of fairness at all stages of employment such as where an employee is given a certain number of warnings or placed on notice before he or she is terminated. Ensure employees understand what is considered unacceptable behaviour. Give warnings where appropriate, but be prepared to terminate when necessary in order to maintain credibility.

Create your own action plan

Leadership Matters: Implement Fairness [PDF]

Resources

The following are links to resources that may be of interest to you. If you click on a link you may be entering a third party website not maintained or controlled in any way by Great-West Life.