Perceptions of justice and employee willingness to engage in customer-oriented behavior

Abstract

This study examines the relationships among distributive justice, procedural justice, and employee willingness to engage in customer-oriented behavior. Data collected from 328 employees at eight general hospitals in Korea show that distributive justice does and procedural justice does not directly affect employee willingness to engage in customer-oriented behavior. Procedural justice does, however, positively affect perceptions of distributive justice. Based on these results, service firms would be well advised to manage employee perceptions of workplace fairness. Furthermore, because the impact of procedural justice on employee willingness to engage in customer-oriented behavior might vary across cultures, it is even more important that this aspect of justice is not overlooked. The usefulness of the workplace fairness construct for service firms cannot be overemphasized. For these firms, it is crucial that employees be willing to deliver service in a manner that will create satisfied customers.