ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the five types of organizational justice: distributive; procedural; informational; interpersonal; and overall or global justice perceptions. It describes why fair treatment in the workplace is important, how fairness perceptions are formed, and why justice violations can be psychologically damaging. The chapter uses examples from federal court cases on various forms of discrimination to demonstrate how justice violations are present in discrimination claims. It uses key cases from the US federal courts on different forms of discrimination to demonstrate how different types of justice violations led to discrimination complaints. Court cases on discrimination represent both legal violations and violations of perceived organizational justice. Justice violations are seen as a threat to a person’s identity. One strategy organizations can pursue is to include issues of fairness in their supervisory training. While employees and managers may be skeptical about another training on diversity, investments in fostering a fairer workplace can provide multiple benefits, including reducing discrimination.
