Enjoying Your Work
Richard Brislin
Proper communication
in dealing with request
smooths the wayAfter three years of hard work for his company, Dwight Turner felt that he deserved a raise. He prepared a list of his accomplishments and made an appointment with his boss, Karen Watanabe. Dwight felt that he had a good relationship with Karen, and he knew of her reputation as a fair-minded person. At the meeting, Dwight presented his case for a raise, and Karen listened carefully. She asked Dwight to expand on a few of his points.
Dwight thought that the meeting went well. A week later Karen made an appointment with Dwight. She informed him that she could not give him a raise and then explained the reasons for her decision. While disappointed that he would not receive a raise, Dwight did not become angry and did not start looking for a job at another company.
This incident deals with the distinction between outcome justice and procedural justice. Dwight wants a certain outcome: a raise. Other outcomes people want in their workplaces include promotions, vacation time during certain months, better parking spaces, larger offices and travel to professional conferences. Procedural justice refers to the policies set up by an organization, and the attitudes of decision-makers, that allow fair consideration of employees' requests. Procedures should be clear concerning how raises can be requested and how people can apply for promotions and larger offices. Similarly, policies should be clear concerning who has access to desired parking spots and how decisions are made concerning vacation time and conference travel. Favored employees should not have an advantage simply because they know the arcane and under-communicated procedures for making requests. Most importantly, decision- makers should communicate that they are unbiased and that they value all people who make requests. Decision-makers should listen carefully, should show respect, and should not rush the person who is making the request. If decision-makers frequently glance at their watches, this betrays their lack of interest in the employee.
Certainly outcome justice is important. All employees want their bosses to grant their requests. But employees know that resources are limited. They know that their companies cannot grant raises to everyone wanting them. They realize that there will be many people competing for a limited number of promotions. They know that there are limits to "perks" such as large offices, travel, and summer vacation time.
But procedural justice is just as important. If bosses show respect for their employees and give them a fair hearing, then employees will often set aside their disappointments with outcomes. Bosses should also communicate the reasons for their decisions, and this is sometimes best handled after they make appointments at times convenient to the employees. Karen was wise to take this step as part of her procedural justice concerns.
Richard Brislin is a professor of management and industrial relations in the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Business Administration. He can be reached through the College Relations Office: cro@cba.hawaii.edu.
The purpose of this column is to increase understanding of
human behavior as it has an impact on the workplace. Given the amount
of time people spend at work, job satisfaction should ideally be high and
it should contribute to general life happiness. Enjoyment can increase as
people learn more about workplace psychology, communication, and group influences.
Richard Brislin is a professor in the College of Business Administration,
University of Hawaii. He can be reached through the
College Relations Office: cro@cba.hawaii.edu