Poor Organisational Justice
Unfair systems and policies harm wellbeing. Manage organisational justice hazards today with Foremind.
Download our guide to managing your teams mental health
Poor organisational justice involves a lack of procedural justice (fair processes to reach decisions), informational fairness (keeping people informed), or interpersonal fairness (treating people with dignity and respect).
Organisational justice is part of the psychosocial safety climate (PSC). PSC refers to the shared perceptions of employees of their organisation’s “systems, policies, practices and procedures for the protection of worker psychological health and safety”.
In organisations with high PSC, the well-being and safety of workers are prioritised commitments and efforts are made by senior management to involve and leverage workers’ participation in designing jobs and programmes that help create a safe and healthy work environment for improved wellbeing, safety and productivity.
Let’s Look at an Example
Paul works in a office. Recently one of his co-workers put in a bullying complaint against his manager. This information was shared across all the teams and the manager told all the team members not to speak to the co-worker until the investigation was resolved.
Paul was also experiencing bullying from the manager and was considering putting in a complaint but now that he has seen how his coworker was treated he is considering all his options. Paul begins to feel paranoid when at work and at home and has difficulty sleeping.
Risk Factors For Poor Organisational Justice
Organisational justice is a psychosocial hazard that can lead to a number of negative outcomes for workers, including stress, anxiety, depression, and decreased job satisfaction. It can also lead to increased absenteeism, turnover, and accidents.
There are a number of risk factors for poor organisational justice, including:
- Unfair treatment of workers, such as discrimination, harassment, or bullying
- Lack of clarity about expectations and roles
- Lack of opportunities for feedback and input
- Lack of transparency and accountability in decision-making
- Unfair distribution of rewards and benefits
Impacts on Employees
Poor organisational justice can have a significant impact on workers’ health and well-being. It can lead to a number of negative outcomes, including:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Decreased job satisfaction
- Increased absenteeism
- Turnover
- Accidents
Control Measures
There are a number of control measures that can be used to reduce the risk of poor organisational justice, including:
- Creating a workplace culture that is based on fairness, respect, and equity
- Ensuring that all workers are treated fairly and equitably
- Providing clear expectations and roles
- Providing opportunities for feedback and input
- Being transparent and accountable in decision-making
- Distributing rewards and benefits fairly
Recommendations
The following recommendations are made to reduce the risk of poor organisational justice in the workplace:
- Develop a workplace policy on organisational justice and make it available to all workers.
- Provide training to managers and supervisors on how to create a fair and just workplace.
- Establish a system for workers to report concerns about organisational justice.
- Investigate all concerns about organisational justice promptly and fairly.
- Take appropriate action to address any problems with organisational justice.
By taking these steps, employers can help to create a workplace that is free from the negative effects of poor organisational justice.
Answers to the frequently asked questions.
Our last EAP was barely touched. Why would this be different?+
Most EAPs go unused because of how they're accessed, not because staff don't need them. Phoning a stranger, explaining yourself, then waiting weeks is enough to stop most people before they start. Foremind removes all three steps: staff see real counsellor profiles, pick someone themselves, and book the same day.
If you already have a provider, the question worth asking is what your current utilisation is. Most traditional EAPs sit in low single digits, which means you're paying for cover your people aren't reaching. If yours is being used, staff can get seen quickly, and it covers your psychosocial obligations, there's no reason to move. If not, it's worth knowing what you're getting for the spend.
Do you offer 24/7 support?+
Yes. A 24/7 after-hours crisis line means staff can reach someone immediately at any hour, including nights and weekends.
Counselling appointments are also available outside standard business hours, so shift-based and on-call teams aren't limited to a nine-to-five window. Those are two different things, and it's worth checking any provider offers both rather than just the crisis line.
Are your EAP counsellors based in Australia?+
Yes. Every practitioner on the platform holds current membership with an Australian professional body and practises under Australian standards, codes of ethics and disciplinary frameworks. There are no offshore call centres.
Practitioners hold membership with the Australian Counselling Association, the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia, or the Australian Association of Social Workers, along with a current Working with Children or Vulnerable People Check.
How much does an EAP cost?+
Pricing is usually per employee per month, based on total headcount rather than how many people use the service. Costs vary widely depending on whether sessions are bundled in and whether compliance tooling is included.
A more useful comparison is cost per employee who actually uses it. An EAP with 2% utilisation can work out several times more expensive per person helped than one that gets used. Foremind offers pay-as-you-go, inclusive session plans and compliance-inclusive plans, with discounted pricing for not-for-profits and charities.
For full breakdown of our plans, see our EAP pricing page or request a quote for a tailored proposal.
What information does an employer receive about EAP usage?+
Nothing that could identify anyone. All counselling is completely confidential and all reporting is anonymous - you'll never see who booked, when, or what was discussed.
What you do see is the aggregated picture: how many people are using it, what psychosocial risks are prevalent in the business, and which teams are under pressure. Enough to know the investment is working and where to act, never enough to identify a person. Reporting thresholds mean small teams can't be reverse-engineered from the data.
Does having an EAP meet an employer's psychosocial duty of care?+
No. An EAP is a control measure, and a valuable one, but it only addresses harm after it has occurred. It doesn't identify hazards, assess risk, or evidence that controls are working.
Australian WHS law requires you to identify psychosocial hazards, assess the risk, control it so far as is reasonably practicable, and review whether those controls are working — with documented evidence at each step. Offering counselling on its own leaves three of those four steps undocumented.
Foremind covers both in one platform. See how the compliance side works in our product tour.