17 Psychosocial risks
Poor Organisational Justice
Organisational justice refers to workers’ perceptions of fairness at work.
Types of poor organisational justice include lack of:
procedural fairness - including fair processes to reach decisions
informational fairness – that ensures relevant people are kept informed
relational fairness – including good quality relationships and interactions and organisational climate
interpersonal fairness - where people are treated with dignity and respect
distributive justice – including perceived fairness and justice in rewards and outcomes or resource allocation.
Poor organisational justice occurs when the principles of fairness, equity and justice are not upheld with an organisation and there are systematic failures or deficiencies in the way decisions are made, workers are treated, and resources are allocated. It becomes a hazard when it is very poor, long-term or happens often.
What is poor organisational justice?
Examples of poor organisational justice include:
Failing to treat workers’ information sensitively or maintain their privacy
Policies or procedures that are unfair, biased or applied inconsistently
Penalising workers for things outside their control
Failing to recognise or accommodate the reasonable needs of workers
Discriminating against particular groups or not applying policies fairly to some groups
Failing to appropriately address (actual or alleged) underperformance, inappropriate or harmful behaviour, or misconduct
Allocating work, shifts and opportunities in a discriminatory or unfair way
No or inadequate processes for making decisions affecting workers.
Poor organisational justice can occur in isolation however it will often occur in combination with other psychosocial hazards at work, increasing risk of harm.
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psychosocial risks
Please note that the information on this page is based on guidance from Comcare’s psychosocial resources. Definitions, terminology, and regulatory expectations may vary by state, territory, or country. Each psychosocial risk has its own dedicated page, and ReFresh is designed to adapt to the specific regulations and frameworks that apply in your jurisdiction, supporting organisations operating across different regions worldwide.