When Justice Fails at Work: How Organizational Injustice Fuels Employee Deviance

What is it about?

This study examines why employees engage in counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs) such as deviance or rule-breaking when they perceive unfair treatment. Grounded in Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, it proposes that injustice drains emotional and psychological resources, prompting retaliatory behavior. Organizational identification serves as the explanatory mechanism—when employees feel less connected to their organization, resource loss more readily translates into deviance. However, supportive HR practices can influence this dynamic by replenishing resources and reducing the urge to retaliate. Using survey data from employees in Pakistan, the study finds that organizational identification—how strongly employees define themselves through their organization—mediates the link between perceived injustice and deviant behavior. Unfair treatment weakens identification, draining psychological resources and increasing deviance. However, discretionary HR practices that go beyond basic obligations help offset these effects by restoring employees’ resources, signaling support, and fostering positive reciprocity toward the organization. These findings show that employee deviance often stems from organizational conditions rather than individual fault. Fair treatment, open communication, and genuine investment in employees promote respect and preserve emotional energy. Discretionary HR practices serve as protective resources, preventing counterproductive responses to injustice. By fostering fairness and demonstrating care, organizations can sustain engagement, trust, and ethical behavior even amid structural inequities or workplace stressors.

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Photo by Elimende Inagella on Unsplash

Photo by Elimende Inagella on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study is unique in integrating organizational identification and discretionary HR practices into the COR framework to explain counterproductive behavior. It shows that organizational disidentification mediates the link between perceived injustice and deviance—unfair treatment drains emotional resources, weakening identification and prompting misconduct. Meanwhile, discretionary HR practices moderate this process by replenishing resources and signaling support, reducing the likelihood that injustice will translate into deviant behavior. The study is timely amid rapid organizational change and resource constraints in developing economies like Pakistan, where maintaining fairness and support is increasingly difficult. It shows that discretionary HR practices—signals of genuine organizational care—can counter the harmful effects of injustice by replenishing employees’ resources. These findings highlight the value of investing in well-being to foster identification, trust, and ethical conduct, offering insights that extend beyond the Pakistani context.