Abstract
Objective
This study examined the distribution of perceived workplace justice and examined the modifying effects of gender, age and enterprise size on the associations between workplace justice and poor health.
Methods
A total of 9,636 male and 7,406 female employees from a national survey conducted in 2007 in Taiwan were studied. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess workplace justice (9 items), psychosocial work conditions, self-rated health and burnout status.
Results
A clear gradient was observed across employment grades, with employees of lower grades reporting lower workplace justice. Government employees were found to have higher levels of workplace justice than those in private sectors, and among those in private sectors, female employees in larger enterprises were found to have significantly lower workplace justice. Multivariate regression analyses showed that employees with workplace justice in the lowest tertile had increased scores in work-related burnout (11.0 and 12.8 points in men and women, respectively) and increased risks for poor self-rated health (OR = 2.5, 2.6) as compared to those with workplace justice in the highest tertile. The associations were stronger in younger groups than in older groups, and in female employees of larger enterprises than those of smaller enterprises.
Conclusion
Employees with lower socioeconomic position and female employees in larger enterprises might be more likely to be exposed to work practices that give rise to the sense of injustice. The underlying mechanisms for the observed stronger associations between lower workplace justice and poor health in younger groups and in workers of larger enterprises deserve further investigation.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Cheng Y, Luh WM, Guo YL (2003) Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Job Content Questionnaire (C-JCQ) in Taiwanese workers. Int J Behav Med 10(1):15–30
Cheng Y, Chen CW, Chen CJ, Chiang TL (2005) Job insecurity and its association with health among employees in the Taiwanese general population. Soc Sci Med 61:41–52
Cheng Y, Huang HY, Li PR, Hsu JH (2011) Employment insecurity, workplace justice and employees’ burnout in Taiwanese employees: a validation study. Int J Behav Med 18(4):391–401
Colquitt J (2001) On the dimensionality of organizational justice: a construct validation of a measure. J Appl Psychol 86:386–400
De Vogli R, Ferrie JE, Chandola T, Kivimaki M, Marmot MG (2007) Unfairness and health: evidence from the Whitehall II study. J Epidemiol Comm Health 61(6):513–518
Donovan MA, Drasgow F, Munson LJ (1998) The perceptions of fair interpersonal treatment scale: development and validation of a measure of interpersonal treatment in the workplace. J Appl Psychol 83(5):683–692
Elovainio M, Kivimaki M, Vahtera J (2002) Organizational justice: evidence of a new psychosocial predictor of health. Am J Pub Health 92(1):105–108
Elovainio M, van den Bos K, Linna A, Kivimaki M, Ala-Mursula L, Pentti J, Vahtera J (2005) Combined effects of uncertainty and organizational justice on employee health: testing the uncertainty management model of fairness judgments among Finnish public sector employees. Soc Sci Med 61(12):2501–2512
Elovainio M, Ferrie JE, Gimeno D, De Vogli R, Shipley M, Brunner EJ et al (2009) Organizational justice and sleeping problems: the Whitehall II study. Psychosomat Med 71(3):334–340
Hayashi T, Odagiri Y, Ohya Y, Tanaka K, Shimomitsu T (2011) Organizational justice, willingness to work and psychological distress: results from a private Japanese company. J Occup Environ Med 53(2):174–181
Head J, Kivimaki M, Siegrist J, Ferrie JE, Vahtera J, Shipley MJ, Marmot MG (2007) Effort-reward imbalance and relational injustice at work predict sickness absence: the Whitehall II study. J Psychosomat Res 63(4):433–440
Inoue A, Kawakami N, Tsutsumi A, Shimazu A, Tsuchiya M, Ishizaki M et al (2009) Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Organizational Justice Questionnaire. J Occup Health 51(1):74–83
Inoue A, Kawakami N, Ishizaki M, Shimazu A, Tsuchiya M, Tabata M et al (2010) Organizational justice, psychological distress and work engagement in Japanese workers. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 83(1):29–38
Inoue A, Kawakami N, Tsuno K, Tomioka K, Nakanishi M (2012) Organizational justice and psychological distress among permanent and non-permanent employees in Japan: a prospective cohort study. Int J Behav Med. doi:10.1007/s12529-012-9224-7
Kawachi I (2006) Injustice at work and health: causation or correlation? Occup Environ Med 63(9):578–579
Kivimaki M, Elovainio M, Vahtera J, Ferrie J (2003a) Organizational justice and health of employees: prospective cohort study. Occup Environ Med 60:27–34
Kivimaki M, Elovainio M, Vahtera J, Virtanen M, Stansfeld S (2003b) Association between organizational inequity and incidence of psychiatric disorders in female employees. Psychol Med 33:319–326
Kivimaki M, Ferrie JE, Head J, Shipley MJ, Vahtera J, Marmot M (2004) Organizational justice and changes in justice as predictors of employee health: the Whitehall II study. J Epid Comm Health 58:931–937
Li J, Yang WJ, Cho SI (2006) Gender differences in job strain, effort-reward imbalance, and health functioning among Chinese physicians. Soc Sci Med 62(5):1066–1077
Moncada S, Pejtersen JH, Navarro A, Llorens C, Burr H, Hasle P, Bjorner JB (2010) Psychosocial work environment and its association with socioeconomic status. A comparison of Spain and Denmark. Scand J Pub Health 38:137–148
Moorman R (1991) Relationship between organizational justice and organizational citizenship behaviors: do fairness perceptions influence employee citizenship? J Appl Psychol 76:845–855
Moss NE (2002) Gender equity and socioeconomic inequality: a framework for the patterning of women’s health. Soc Sci Med 54(5):649–661
Nieuwenhuijsen K, Bruinvels D, Frings-Dresen M (2010) Psychosocial work environment and stress-related disorders, a systematic review. Occup Med (Lond) 60(4):277–286
Park SG, Min KB, Chang SJ, Kim HC, Min JY (2009) Job stress and depressive symptoms among Korean employees: the effects of culture on work. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 82(3):397–405
Pugliesi K (1995) Work and well-being: gender differences in the psychological consequences of employment. J Health Soc Behav 36(1):57–71
Roxburgh S (1996) Gender differences in work and well-being: effects of exposure and vulnerability. J Health Soc Behav 37(3):265–277
Siegrist J, Marmot M (2004) Health inequalities and the psychosocial environment—two scientific challenges. Soc Sci Med 58(8):1463–1473
Spector PE, Brannick MT (2010) Common method issues: an introduction to the feature topic in organizational research methods. Organ Res Methods 13(3):403–406
Theorell T, Nyberg A, Leineweber C, Hanson LLM, Oxenstierna G, Westerlund H (2012) Non-listening and self centered leadership–relationships to socioeconomic conditions and employee mental health. PlosOne 7(9):e44119
Ybema JF, van den Bos K (2010) Effects of organizational justice on depressive symptoms and sickness absence: a longitudinal perspective. Soc Sci Med 70(10):1609–1617
Yeh WY, Cheng Y, Chen CJ, Hu P, Kristensen TS (2007) Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory among Taiwanese employees from two enterprises. Int J Behav Med 14(3):1–8
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by a research grant from the National Science Council (NSC 99-2410-H002-171-MY3), Taiwan. The authors thank Dr. Hermann Burr, Dr. Hans Martin Hasselhorn and Dr. Tage S. Kristensen for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cheng, Y., Chen, CJ. Modifying effects of gender, age and enterprise size on the associations between workplace justice and health. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 87, 29–39 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-012-0831-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-012-0831-z