Procedural Fairness Scale – PFS
Measures employee perceptions of the fairness of procedures used for making pay-related decisions.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Procedural Fairness Scale – PFS was developed by Scarpello, V., & Jones, F. F. (1996). It is designed to measure Procedural fairness in compensation decision making. The scale is intended for use with Employees / Working adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 15 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Pay determination, Pay communication, Performance appraisal, Appeal.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Pay determination | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | 6 |
| Pay communication | 7,8,9 | 3 |
| Performance appraisal | 10,11,12,13 | 4 |
| Appeal | 14,15 | 2 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Very unfair, 2 = Unfair, 3 = Neutral, 4 = Fair, 5 = Very fair.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 15 to 75. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low perceived fairness: 15 – 35
- Moderate perceived fairness: 36 – 55
- High perceived fairness: 56 – 75
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Composite alpha of .93 (subscales: pay determination .88, pay communication .92, performance appraisal .87, appeal .83).
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.