Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Being fair as a boss
• Method 2 of 3: Being fair as a teacher
• Method 3 of 3: Being fair as a parent
• Tips

Justice is a very personal concept which means as much as doing the right thing or doing it appropriately. It is seen as a quality that is difficult to obtain, and exceptional in both leaders and relationships. Of course you can't divide the world into black or white and right or wrong, but you can improve your own justice by giving the people around you the time and attention they deserve.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Being fair as a boss

1. Keep all your employees to the same standards. It can of course be difficult not to show preferences in the workplace. Perhaps there is that one employee who always listens to you, compliments, and gives you homemade pastries, while someone else is much cooler and more distant. This does not mean that it is fair to release the friendly employee an hour earlier, and to let the less friendly employee work longer. If you really want to be fair, you have to take a critical look at your own bias and make sure that all your employees are treated equally.
   • Ask yourself why you actually have a preference for a particular employee.If this is because you think your less loved employees aren't putting enough effort into their work, it's better to talk to them about it rather than be more harsh on them.
   • If you make your preferences clear, the employees who do not have your favor will feel unfairly treated. This can make them feel angry or bitter. Fairness fosters a positive and supportive work environment - having loved ones is discouraging.
2. Set a good example. If you want to be a fair boss, you have to become a role model for your employees. You can be an example of what you would like to see from them in terms of hard work, enthusiasm and good cooperation. If you tell your employees something and then act in a totally opposite way, they will not respect you and they will feel unfairly treated. So if you want to be fair, you can't be strict with your employees while protecting yourself.
   • If you tell your employees that it is important for them to arrive at work at 9 a.m. on time, but then consistently arrive half an hour late yourself, your employees will not find it fair to reprimand them for being late.
   • If you scold an employee for lazing around during work hours while making personal phone calls or chatting in the kitchen all afternoon, you're clearly not showing justice.
   • If your employees don't think you are fair, you will be much more likely to oppose them.
3. Lay down the rules. Another way to be a fair boss is to make the rules crystal clear. In many cases, when employees feel they have an unjust boss, it is because they don't understand the boss's expectations. If you have certain quotas for what your employees should produce, make this expectation clear, rather than just being angry or disappointed if they don't live up to your expectations. If you have certain goals for a new product, write them down so that your employees know what you want and don't have to gamble.
   • The better you can define your expectations, the clearer your rules will be. If you have a piece of paper, email, report, or whatever document you can refer your employees to when they have questions about what you expect from them, your rules will feel fairer and less arbitrary.
   • If you change your rules or expectations, it is fair to let your employees know in advance, instead of surprising them afterwards. They will appreciate your honesty and feel that you are fair.
4. Don't be influenced by your own preferences. If you really want to be fair, you will have to remain as objective as possible when hiring or firing employees, assigning responsibilities and projects, or when you are just working. You can't just hire people who are most like you, but you have to find the most suitable person. And you can't just fire someone because you don't like them, but only if they don't behave well. It is important to keep looking at yourself and to make sure you do your job fairly.
   • It is, of course, impossible to be completely unbiased or impartial. But if you train yourself to check yourself regularly during your decision-making process, you can make yourself more and more fair. If you have a preference for a particular applicant, ask yourself if it is because this person is the most suitable, or because this applicant gave you the most compliments during the interview. If you are dissatisfied with a report written by one of your employees, ask yourself whether it is because you are at odds with this employee.
5. Give your employees a voice. Although you as the boss can determine the rules, it is just as fair if your employees also have the opportunity to provide feedback. Make time to speak to them individually, ask for feedback if necessary, and make it clear that you care about what they think and how they feel. By listening to your employees, you can create a fair and smooth workplace without being overwhelmed.
   • If you make time for your employees, they will start to see you as more fair. Don't pretend you're too busy to talk to your employees, rather make the effort to hear what they have to say about how the business is running. This makes them feel heard and therefore better in the workplace.
   • If you continuously set rules and commands without taking into account the knowledge and ideas of your employees, you can build a reputation as an unjust boss. Of course, there are times when only you can know what's best for your business. You can't let your employees run the business. But if you know that an employee has a good understanding of a particular situation, and you choose to ignore him or her, it can come across as unfair.
6. Apologize for your mistakes. You may be a boss, but that doesn't mean you never make mistakes. If you've treated one of your employees unlawfully, if you've made a mistake, or if you've made a mistake in the workplace, it's only fair to apologize for it. By brushing aside your own mistakes, your employees will think it is unfair to set the bar high for them, while you are not accountable for your own mistakes.
   • If you've made a big mistake that affects more than one employee, you may need to rally those involved and apologize to the group. Having a reputation for being a confident and progressive boss is much better than pretending you never make mistakes. If your employees see that you have a strong sense of morality, they are more likely to see you as righteous.
7. Don't let justice wear you out. Being an honest boss is of course important if you want to keep your employee happy and your business running smoothly. But one study shows that "outright fairness" - where you banish bias from situations with employees, welcome feedback, don't cut corners, and so on - can cause mental fatigue in managers. While you still need to be fair, of course, you also need to make sure that your pursuit of justice doesn't cause overtiredness. In that case, you can no longer make good decisions for your company at all. Justice is important, but so is taking time for yourself to relax.
   • To avoid fatigue, get enough rest, eat energetic lunches, take plenty of breaks during your workday, and try not to think too much about your work after 7 pm. In this way you can enthusiastically remain a righteous boss.

Method 2 of 3: Being fair as a teacher

1. Give everyone a chance to speak. If you want to be an honest teacher, you must make it clear that you respect the opinions and ideas of all your students. If you give the same three students turns over and over, or don't pay attention to the comments of a student who is struggling more than the rest, you can get a reputation for being unjust. If you don't give the students who are shy or having problems a chance to talk, they will feel unfairly treated and therefore will not want to participate actively in your lessons.
   • You provide a better teaching experience for all of your students by allowing a wide variety of opinions into the classroom. It's not fair to only give your favorite students a chance to express themselves.
   • Practice giving turns to students who haven't raised their hands and asking them for their opinion. While you should always be careful with reluctant students, you can give them a sense of responsibility by regularly giving them a voice in the classroom.
2. Be aware of how you respond to each student. You may think that you are being honest in the classroom, but if you take a step back, you may find that you are not responding honestly to every student. Ideally, you will be receptive to what each student has to say, wait long enough for each student to answer, and provide positive comments and encouragement to all of your students. On the way home, think about how you responded to each of your students and whether you could have done something fairer.
   • You can even ask another teacher to observe you and give you honest feedback. You may find that you spend twice as much time with some students while ignoring others. While some students really need more help than others, it is only fair to give all of your students some of your time and attention.
3. Find something commendable in everyone. If you really want to be righteous, you have to learn to see the good in every student. Maybe you have a student who scores so badly that you feel like you can only criticize. In such a case, you have to work extra hard to find something commendable in that student, such as her eye for detail or cooperation ability. As an honest teacher, you have to show every student that he or she deserves nothing less than the best.
   • Take the time to talk to each student individually and to let students with problems know that they too have their strengths.
   • Complimenting students makes them feel better about themselves, as long as you make sure that you end up complimenting everyone at some point. Publicly undermining students, on the other hand, can damage their self-confidence and is thus not fair.
4. Give fair numbers. It can sometimes be difficult to give honest grades if you already have your expectations set for which students do well and which ones always get a sixth grade. Still, you should read each paper as if you have no idea who wrote it. It is also good to adhere to specific requirements, so that your grades are not based on your own whims or "feeling", but on whether or not you meet the requirements. Giving fair grades is one of the most important qualities of a fair teacher.
   • Try to spend about the same amount of time on each piece of work. Don't give students who are doing great work more time than those who can use the feedback.
   • Don't try to pigeonhole students. A student who usually gets sevens can really be good enough for a nine, and if you don't recognize a greater effort on a paper with a higher grade, that student will think he or she can't get better anyway.
5. Remember that fairness is not the same as treating everyone equally. Every child is different and has different strengths and weaknesses. If you follow your rules and address different children, don't lose sight of who they are as an individual, and at the same time try to be honest. Of course, it takes more work to get to know each of your students - and their parents - well, but this step is exactly what can make you an honest and fair teacher.
   • For example, if a child has forgotten her homework at home for the very first time, while someone else is doing it for the fifth time, you should not treat these students equally.
   • Try to focus on the causes of someone's behavior when a student is harassing, without making excuses for bad behavior. You may know that a student has a hard time with her parents' divorce, and so sometimes misbehaves. This kind of knowledge can help you work with the student for his or her success.
6. Avoid darlings. It can be difficult at times not to have favorites as a teacher, but it is important to avoid partiality as a classroom leader as much as possible. Even if a particular student works hard and treats you well, you cannot afford to shower this student with compliments while letting other students - who also need your attention - down. If you have a difficult student, always talk to him or her individually. You cannot allow yourself to say unkind things to this student in class.
   • Having darlings builds a reputation as someone who doesn't treat students fairly. This way the students will lose respect for you.
   • The kids who aren't among your favorites may get discouraged and stop trying in class because they feel like they can't accomplish anything anyway.

Method 3 of 3: Being fair as a parent

1. Be understanding. One of the most important qualities of a righteous parent is understanding. If you want to be a successful parent, you'll have to do your best to really understand what's going on in your child's mind, what's going on at school, and what his or her relationships are like with friends. If your child misbehaves, it is often for reasons that are not immediately obvious. So you will have to try to put yourself in your child's shoes to understand the situation.
   • Before you impose a penalty or rule, think carefully about how this may affect your children. It is only fair to consider how your children are feeling before taking action.
2. Listen to what your kids need. If you want to be a righteous parent, it is important to listen to your children. You may think that your child has simply misbehaved, and you may be irritated by that, but often the problem lies deeper. If you really want to be honest with your child, talk to him or her about what's going on and why your child is behaving this way at home or at school. This makes you fairer and can expose the root of the problem.
   • By listening to your children you also show that you care and that you are doing your best not to just make up rules but to really understand what they are doing.
   • Of course, there can always be days when you are just too tired to listen. Even so, it is important that you give your children the time they deserve and that you really hear what they have to say. Put your work phone or computer away and give your children all the attention they need.
3. Give several children what they need. Being fair does not mean treating all your children equally; it means you have to treat them fairly. One of your children may be more exuberant than the other, or more erratic than the other, or has more difficulty at school than the other. As a righteous parent, you give each child the attention he or she needs and establish rules and guidelines that are appropriate for each of your children.
   • Every child is unique, so it is not fair to treat every child equally. Instead, pay attention to what your children really need and try to provide it.
4. Don't tell your kids that "life isn't fair." Many parents use this phrase as a way out when they are frustrated with their children, but it is better to avoid it. This is because this gives children lower expectations about the world, and this can cause them to become more pessimistic. So if your child "it's not fair!" do not answer "yes, life is not fair!", but try to explain your choices and give your child the space to discuss his or her feelings.
   • While it's best to avoid "life isn't fair," it should also be clear that the world isn't about your kids. Of course you want your kids to feel like they can thrive in a relatively inviting world, but what you don't want is for them to get spoiled and think they can get whatever they want.
5. Make the rules of the household clear. As a righteous parent, you have to make your expectations crystal clear for your children. So let them know when they have to be in, how long they can watch TV, what you expect from them at school, and what chores they have to do every day. Once you have established the rules, you must then deal with them consistently, and make it clear that all your children must meet this standard. When changing a rule, explain your reasoning so that you don't unpleasantly surprise your children.
   • Reminding your kids of the rules of the household is one of the easiest ways to be fair. If they get in trouble for something they didn't know was not allowed, they are more likely to complain that it is "not fair".
   • Of course, if you have children who differ in age by more than a few years, it is normal for the older child to have more privileges than the younger child. Explain this as clearly as possible so that the younger child doesn't feel like you are random or have a preference.
6. Be a good role model. As a righteous parent, you must do what you say so that your children can see that your rules are worth following. Of course, there will be rules that don't apply to you, such as going to bed early, but if you expect certain behaviors from your children, it is best to show this behavior yourself if you want to appear righteous.
   • If you tell your kids to be friendly with others and then treat neighbors or strangers without respect themselves, or tell your kids to clean up while you leave a mess yourself, you're sending mixed signals and confusing your kids.
   • Your kids shouldn't think you're a hypocrite for making rules that you don't follow yourself.

Tips

• If you want to be fair in the workplace, stay on top of labor laws. Labor laws exist to promote fairness and prevent discrimination based on race, gender and other factors. Your decisions will be easier if you follow these laws, and breaking them is often illegal.