Organizational injustice and employee affective health: The moderating effects of labor market conditions

Abstract

Existing research confirms that both organizational injustice and unfavorable labor market conditions negatively influence employee health. This article draws on relative gratification theory and cognitive appraisal theory to investigate the interplay of these two work-related stressors. The findings of a meta-analysis of 97 samples from 24 countries shows that when unemployment is high and there is a large informal economy, organizational injustice has a weaker effect on employee affective health than when unemployment is low. The findings suggest that relative gratification can function as a coping mechanism when employees are challenged with multiple work-related stressors. In so doing, this study extends the present understanding of the effects of relative gratification, thereby highlighting the broad scope of social comparisons in organizational justice research. It illustrates how micro- and macro-level stressors interact to influence employee health and confirms the importance of context in organizational justice research.