Fairness isn’t a feeling. It’s a design choice.
People experience fairness not just in outcomes but in how decisions are made and communicated. Even the right decision can feel wrong if the process lacks transparency.
In “Fairly Meaningful: Mechanisms Linking Organizational Fairness to Perceived Meaningfulness” (Si, Xiao, and Chen, 2022, Journal of Business Ethics ), the authors found that organizational fairness supports people’s sense of meaning at work through mechanisms such as authenticity and organization-based self-esteem. When people feel treated fairly, they are more likely to believe their work matters and their presence is respected.
Everyday Moves
Explain why decisions are made, not just what they are.
Apply the same standards consistently and be transparent when you cannot.
Invite input or questions about how decisions are made so people feel seen, heard, and part of the process.
When fairness is built into how work happens, the signals are clear, early, and enduring. Managers who design fairness do not wait for trust to break; they reinforce it through their everyday actions. That design choice shapes whether people feel safe, valued, and connected to the manager, the team, and the mission.
What is one decision this week where you can make fairness visible?