Understand

When a workplace process isn’t fair

Performance management, disciplinary action, complaints, investigations and HR meetings can become difficult when the process itself is unclear or inconsistent.

Concerns may be vague. Expectations may shift. You may struggle to understand what you’re being asked to respond to, or what happens next.

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You are trying to respond, but the concerns stay vague, new issues appear part-way through, and the next step is unclear.

What is a workplace process?

A workplace process is a series of steps an employer uses to deal with an issue or make a decision about someone’s work.

Some are routine. Others can have significant consequences.

For example:

  • Performance management: Reviewing someone’s work, raising concerns or setting expectations for improvement.
  • Disciplinary processes: Responding to concerns about someone’s conduct or behaviour.
  • Workplace investigations: Examining a complaint, allegation or reported incident.
  • Complaint procedures: Considering concerns raised by an employee.
  • Consultation processes: Seeking and considering input about proposed workplace changes.

These processes serve legitimate purposes. Employers need ways to address problems, investigate concerns and make decisions.

The issue isn’t simply that a workplace process has begun. It’s whether the process is being handled fairly.

Is the process unfair, or is it an outcome I don’t like?

Sometimes the outcome is the hardest part. Sometimes it is the way you got there.

Fair doesn’t mean getting the outcome you wanted.

A complaint might not be upheld. You might receive critical feedback or disagree with a decision. Those outcomes can be disappointing even when the process was reasonably fair.

An unfair process is different. You might not be told what the concerns are, the expectations might keep changing, or you might not have a meaningful opportunity to respond.

A fair process can produce an outcome you dislike. An unfair process doesn’t automatically mean the eventual decision was wrong.

Unpleasant does not automatically mean unfair.

What can an unfair workplace process look like?

Problems with a process may include:

  • Unclear concerns: You are told your performance or conduct is a problem, but receive few specific examples.
  • Changing expectations: The standard you’re asked to meet keeps shifting.
  • Inconsistent rules: Similar situations appear to be handled differently without explanation.
  • Poor communication: You don’t know which procedure applies or what happens next.
  • Limited opportunity to respond: Important information arrives late, or your response appears not to have been considered.

When the expectations keep changing

Illustrative composite — not an individual case.

Hannah was told her communication needed to improve.

She asked what that meant and was told she needed to be “more proactive”. At the next review, she brought examples of where she had taken initiative, but the concern had shifted. Now she needed to be “more collaborative”.

Neither expectation was clearly defined.

Hannah began keeping increasingly detailed records because she could no longer work out what would count as satisfactory performance.

The problem wasn’t simply that she received critical feedback. It was that the standard she was being assessed against never became clear enough for her to know how to meet it.

What does procedural fairness mean?

Procedural fairness concerns how decisions are made and carried out, rather than simply whether the final decision was right.

Useful questions include:

  • Was the concern explained clearly?
  • Were relevant standards applied consistently?
  • Was accurate information considered?
  • Was there a meaningful opportunity to respond?
  • Were decisions explained and people treated respectfully?

Workplace psychology uses the term procedural justice for fairness in decision-making processes.

Australian work health and safety guidance recognises poor organisational justice as a psychosocial hazard. Research also links perceived unfairness in workplace processes with poorer mental health.

That does not mean that every procedural problem is unlawful.

A related concept, institutional betrayal, concerns failures by institutions to respond appropriately to people who depend on them for protection or support. The concept developed largely in research on sexual violence and institutional responses. Not every unfair workplace process amounts to institutional betrayal.

Why can an unclear process affect you so much?

You are expected to respond to something while still trying to work out what the something is.

You may replay meetings, examine emails or prepare for several possible outcomes because nobody has clearly explained what happens next.

If the concerns involve your competence, conduct or professional judgement, you may begin questioning your abilities as well.

The uncertainty becomes its own workload.

When you’re asked to respond without enough information

Illustrative composite — not an individual case.

Tom was asked to attend a meeting about several concerns.

Before the meeting, he received very little information about what those concerns were. During the meeting, he was presented with examples he hadn’t seen before and asked to respond immediately.

A few days later, he was told a decision had been made.

Tom had been given an opportunity to speak. But had he been given a meaningful opportunity to respond?

He had little time to understand the concerns, check the information or prepare his response. We don’t know how his response was considered before the decision was made.

Being invited to a meeting and being given a meaningful opportunity to respond are not necessarily the same thing.

What if the process involves performance management?

A Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is not automatically unfair, and being placed on one doesn’t establish what the eventual outcome will be.

Clarity matters. Questions may include:

  • What specific performance concerns are being raised?
  • What standard am I being asked to meet?
  • How will progress be assessed?
  • What support is available?
  • When will the process be reviewed?

Otherwise, you can end up trying to pass a test whose marking criteria are still being written.

What can I do if I’m in the middle of a process?

Start by making the process more visible.

  1. Clarify the process. Ask which procedure applies and what stage you’re at.

  2. Ask for specifics. Identify the concerns, examples, expectations and decisions that need clarification.

  3. Keep a factual record. Record relevant meetings, correspondence and changes to expectations.

  4. Separate events from interpretations. “HR attended the meeting” describes something that happened. “They’ve already decided to dismiss me” is a conclusion that may or may not be correct.

  5. Consider appropriate support. A union, professional association, workplace representative or employment lawyer may be relevant. If serious employment consequences are possible, consider getting advice early.

You can question what is happening without needing to know somebody else’s motives.

This page is general psychological and educational information, not individual employment or legal advice.

What can I do next?

Evidence and further reading

Written by Suzanne Robertson

Registered psychologist · Board-approved supervisor with the Psychology Board of Australia

More than 25 years’ experience working with burnout, workplace psychological harm and recovery from difficult workplace experiences.

Last reviewed: October 2026 · More about Suzanne