Employee perceptions of fairness as predictors of workers' compensation claims for psychological injury: An Australian case-control study

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Compensation claims for psychological injury are often expensive and slow to resolve; thus, employers, as well as health professionals, need to understand the predisposing circumstances. Australian workers suffering from work‐related stress may apply for compensable leave and treatment costs under the category of ‘psychological injury’. Little is known about the predictors of such claims, but one might expect psychological vulnerability in terms of negative affectivity to distinguish workers who lodge psychological injury claims. In a large longitudinal study of white‐collar workers, after comparing claimants with non‐claimants cross‐sectionally, case‐control methodology was used to compare those who subsequently made a workers' compensation claim for psychological injury with matched controls. Rather, perceived characteristics of the work environment, particularly relating to procedural justice, most clearly differentiated cases from controls. Not only human resource managers but also all whose work includes supervisory responsibilities need to take into account that perceived injustice at work predicts future workers compensation claims for psychological injury. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.</jats:p>