Any time justice is at stake it is important to think of ways to support it on a personal level. Occupational justice is just one branch of justice as a whole. Every form of justice involves protecting right from the insidious evil of wrong. Occupational justice specifically protects a person’s right to fine meaning from life. It ensures the ability for any person to pursue appropriate and reasonable access to a safe work environment.

Every qualified person should have equal access to work and find meaning in life. This is the goal of occupational justice and it is no small consideration as people often spend almost as much time at work as they do at home. Put even more simply, the goal is that anyone who wishes to work should have the opportunity to do so. This may seem like a simple reality, however it can become quite complicated by a myriad of factors.

For example in theory someone with a disability has an absolute right to equal access in the workplace. Even laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) support this ideal. Yet, there are some businesses that do not adhere to this standard and/or choose not to accommodate for diverse employees. While the ADA provides support on paper for equal hiring rights it is not always carried out that way in practice. It is important that people from the community stand up to ask businesses to support laws such as the ADA. Similarly, local and national businesses should look within themselves and must also seek out a standard for occupational justice. This is beneficial for businesses because any time unique and creative ideas exist there are chances for growth and change. Being more diverse in the workplace offers this and as such it should be pursued at the level of the individual, community, business and government.

People with disabilities are not the only individuals who may struggle to find occupational justice. Other stigmatized populations such as people of certain races, ages, religious minorities or women may not always have the opportunities they deserve. Almost everyone falls into the category of a stereotype in some context. As such, it is extremely important to seek out ways to improve the practices of occupational justice because there is a possibility that everyone may need this support at one time or another. That being said, it may never be possible to completely annihilate incidents where occupational justice is not met competently. There will always be people who do not do the right thing and maintain a sense of ethics. That does not mean that one should not always strive to be ethical despite the behaviors of others. It is possible to enhance occupational justice by advocating for equality in the workplace. Doing something will always be better than standing by the wayside while watching others being taken advantage of or judged.

There are many ways to improve the adherence to occupational justice on both a small and large scale. Having proactive systems in place for how to interview and assess candidates is one way to ensure occupational justice. This assures that everyone who is being considered for a particular job is on an equal playing field and the person with the best qualifications will be the person who is chosen for the job. A similar method would work in the event an employee has a disability or requires some other reasonable accommodation. There should be someone on staff, perhaps in a human resources department who understands how to access these resources and will work with employees to ensure their needs are being met to a high standard. With technology growing, it is becoming more and more possible for people to work in a whole host of new environments. This is an exciting time to make a dedication to promoting occupational justice. It is time to set the precedence for justice in the workplace. Even discussing this issue in the first place is a start to fixing unethical business practices.