I have recently conducted a Lynda Certification for Contemporary Skills for Business Professionals. This PowerPoint focuses on "Practicing Fairness As A Manager." Please take a look and any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

1. Practicing Fairness as a Manager
Created By: Kelby L. Schwender
Business Administration student, Penn State

2. Bottom-Line Insight
Having a reputation for fairness will help your career, but it will also help you get the best
performance from your reports.

3. Introduction to Fairness in the Workplace- What does
it mean to be fair in the workplace?
● If employees are going to have good relationships and trust their leaders, they have to
perceive that everyone is being treated fairly.
○ Employees must feel the resources are allocated fairly, that decisions are fair, and that the organization
treats them fairly.
■ Resources distributed fairly, policies are fair, right information is given, respect.
● The beliefs in fairness will motivate them to provide quality work.
● Employees who experience their workplace as fair are more likely to internalize the
goals and values of the organization, develop bond with others, and ultimately behave
more ethically themselves.
○ When people perceive the workplace as fair, they are healthier.
Of course, life is not always fair.

4. Introduction to Fairness in the Workplace- Why
people perceive things as fair or unfair
● Equity theory; assumes that we value fairness and so we are motivated to keep things
fair as best we can.
○ We measure equity or fairness by comparing the ratio of our contributions or costs to our benefits.
■ IF the benefits are equal to or outweigh the costs, then we’ll agree something’s fair.
■ IF the cost outweigh the benefits, then we’ll complain that things are unfair.
● Your best defense if to be as fair and ethical as you possibly can, following the right
rules and procedures and always putting yourself in the other person’s shoes.

5. Principles of Fairness- Your role in showing fairness
● Organizations must be supportive, pleasant, flexible, and respectful.
● Organizations must be diverse.
● DO NOT play favorites.
The more employees feel valued for all their hard work, the better off you’ll be
when things get sticky.

6. Principles of Fairness- Distributive fairness
● Employees want to know that if they put the same effort as others, they’ll be awarded
the same way.
○ When employees feel distribution of rewards and other resources is unfair, it can result in
disengagement, turnover, or counterproductive workplace behavior.
● It is important to communicate, be transparent, set your employees up for success,
and keep track of who’s getting what resources, so you can be sure they’re distributed
equally.

7. Principles of Fairness- Procedural fairness
● If the right procedure is followed when decision makers make a decision, employees
are more likely to perceive it as fair, and the decision maker is actually more likely to
reach a fair and correct decision.
● Procedural fairness is going to contribute to a feeling of equality at work, which
contributes to a positive work environment.

8. Principles of Fairness- Informational Fairness
● Employees don’t enjoy being kept out of the loop, and they don’t follow
leaders blindly.
○ Transparency is key.
○ People want to know why they are doing something, or why a certain decision is being made.
● Leaders have to make decisions that not everyone will agree with, but the
more people know about why a decision was made, the less frustrated they’ll
be about it.
○ Employees who feel a sense of reasoning behind the decision are more likely to agree with itm
or at least go along with it even it they don’t agree.
● Employees must feel that they are receiving the proper amount of information
about a decision or process that affects them.
○ It is human nature to want to understand why. Beyond that they want to feel like their input
and feelings matter.

9. Principles of Fairness- Interactional Fairness
● Everyone really and truly just wants to be treated with dignity and respect, and
organizations who offer this to their employees will outperform those who do not.
● Interactional fairness is the degree people perceive they’re treated with dignity and
respect when decisions are made and things happen.
○ Make it a point to foster respect in the workplace.

10. Principles of Fairness- Laws and Regulations
● The United States of America’s Constitution was written in an attempt to create rules
that apply to everyone. (Fairness)
○ Equal pay
○ Civil Rights Act
○ The Americans with Disabilities Act
○ Age Discrimination Act
○ Pregnancy Discrimination
○ Whistle-blowing
○ Wrongful Termination
○ Safety
○ Privacy
○ Union Activity
○ Benefits
○ Leave
○ Etc
The bottom line is that if you focus on respect, dignity
and fairness it can help you insure you stay out of
legal hot water.

11. Managing Fairness- Fairness IS Essential
● Leaders must never take decision-making lightly; decisions perceiver as unfair by
employees can take a real toll on the organization.
Fairness MUST Be Received Within:
● Performance Management
● Simple Acknowledgements
● Communication
Show your employees you care about them and they’ll be
happy campers.

12. Managing Fairness- Interpersonal Techniques for
Demonstrating Fairness
● Ask a lot of questions and LISTEN.
● Have an open mind and flexible.
● Truthfulness, keep promises, honor commitments, and be authentic all the times.
● Be collaborative.
● Respect employees uniqueness.
● Treat people the way they want to be treated.
● Distribute time and resources, information and processes as equally as can be.

13. Managing Fairness- Making Fair Decisions
● How you present the story of your decision-making process will matter in whether
it’s perceiver as fair.
○ Discuss your emotions and trials and tribulations as your sought the best answer when you’re talking
about your decisions.
■ Ignite emotion and trust in those around you.

14. Managing Fairness- Overcoming Challenges
“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people
some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.”
-Abraham Lincoln
Have clear guidelines to follow for decision-making and communicating it
will will make all the difference.

15. “If you want to see the true measure of a man, watch how he treats his inferiors, not his
equals.”
- J. K. Rowling