Personal Appraisal Participation and Supervisory Procedural Justice Experiences among Finnish Employees : A Study Based on the Quality of Work Life Survey 2003

Only abstract. Paper copies of master’s theses are listed in the Helka database (http://www.helsinki.fi/helka). Electronic copies of master’s theses are either available as open access or only on thesis terminals in the Helsinki University Library.Vain tiivistelmä. Sidottujen gradujen saatavuuden voit tarkistaa Helka-tietokannasta (http://www.helsinki.fi/helka). Digitaaliset gradut voivat olla luettavissa avoimesti verkossa tai rajoitetusti kirjaston opinnäytekioskeilla.Endast sammandrag. Inbundna avhandlingar kan sökas i Helka-databasen (http://www.helsinki.fi/helka). Elektroniska kopior av avhandlingar finns antingen öppet på nätet eller endast tillgängliga i bibliotekets avhandlingsterminaler.The purpose of the study was to examine Finnish employees’ work related attitudes. The study was based on a Quality of Work Life Survey 2003, which is an extensive face-to-face survey conducted by Statistics Finland. The study employed above 4000 randomly sampled Finnish salary earners. Several comparisons based on employees’ working sector, working position and gender was done. It was examined how personal appraisals/performance appraisals (PAs) conducted in organisations between superiors and subordinates influenced employees working conditions, and whether PA participation or non-participation affected employees’ work related attitudes, opportunities to receive non-economical rewards and possibilities to influence on ones work. Employees’ experiences of supervisory procedural justice in relation to PA participation and other work related attitudes were also examined. It was found that half of the Finnish employees had participated in a PA during 2002-2003. PAs were most popular practises in the state sector and among those employees who worked as superiors. Employees were mainly satisfied with the PA, significant differences between sectors, working positions and gender were not found. As hypothesised, those employees who had participated in a PA had better opportunities to receive professional training, advance in their career and self-develop than did the employees who had not participated in a PA. PA participants had also better opportunities to influence different aspects of their job. Furthermore, PA participants showed higher work satisfaction and satisfaction toward superior than did non-PA participants. The ones who had not taken part in a PA were more willing to change their job than were those who had taken part in a PA. Supervisory procedural justice (SPRJ) was examined as recommended by Blader and Tylor (2003), Taylor and Lind (1988, 230-240) and Tyler (2000) stressing superiors’ trustworthiness, neutrality and standing. Employees who participated in a PA experienced that their superior acted in a more procedurally just way than did the employees who had not taken part in a PA. This kind of experience was especially evident among superiors and male employees. In summary, the results obtained supported the hypothesis, and it can be concluded that PA participation was related to several attitudes essential for organisations’ success and employees’ well-being. The findings are discussed in relation to human resource management practices and procedural justice theories. It is also considered how the organisational culture and supervisor-subordinate relationship influence the outcomes