What does fairness mean as a core value?
Fairness as a core value means treating people even-handedly: judging them on the merits, hearing them out before deciding, and reaching outcomes through a process they can see is fair.
An alarm goes off in you when someone gets a raw deal. You notice when one sibling does all the caring for an ageing parent, when a colleague is blamed for a team mistake, or when every refereeing decision goes one way. If fairness is a core value, you want people judged on the merits, heard before they’re criticised and dealt with even-handedly. You’ll often accept an outcome you don’t like, as long as the way it was reached was fair.
What does fairness look like in practice?
- You hear both sides before deciding who’s in the wrong.
- You split the tedious jobs evenly, and take your own share.
- You explain the reasoning behind a decision so people can see it wasn’t arbitrary.
- You challenge favouritism, even when you’re the favourite.
- You apply the same consequence to a star performer as you would to anyone else.
When is fairness overplayed?
Fairness pushed too far becomes scorekeeping. You may spend energy tracking who has done what, find it hard to let small imbalances go, or slow decisions down in search of a perfectly even outcome that doesn’t exist. It can also make you rigid when someone genuinely needs more than their share for a while. At its best, this value cares about fair process and fair treatment over time, and lets the odd uneven moment pass. When an imbalance is bugging you, a useful test is to ask whether you’re pursuing fairness or nursing a grievance.
Often confused with
Fairness vs Equality
Equality is about everyone having the same rights and chances. Fairness is about even-handed treatment in the situation in front of you, which sometimes means giving people different things.
Fairness vs Justice
Justice is standing up for what’s right, often on a bigger stage and especially when there’s been a wrong. Fairness is about even-handed treatment in everyday decisions.
Fairness vs Respect
Respect is how you regard people. Fairness is how you treat them when there’s something to decide, divide or judge.
Questions to sit with
- Where are you getting a better deal than someone else, and had you noticed?
- Who would say you’ve been unfair to them, and what would they point to?
- When does fairness mean treating people differently, and how do you decide?
More values in Ethics
Doing right and treating people fairly.
About the author
Matt Rutherford is a Career and Leadership Coach. The Values Finder is the same exercise he uses with his coaching clients. He also writes Stuff that MattRs, a weekly newsletter with practical ideas to help you think clearer and work better.
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