Is Military Employment Fair? Application of Social Comparison Theory in a Cross-National Military Sample

Although military and civilian personnel work closely together in defense organizations, they are subject to different human resources practices and conditions of service. Assessments of military personnel along a range of job characteristics are examined to identify areas in which they assess themselves as “better or worse off” than their civilian counterparts, and how these comparisons relate to perceptions of fairness using data from Belgium, Canada, and the Netherlands. Military personnel reported meaningfulness/support aspects (e.g., meaningful work) as similar for military and civilian personnel, indicated that negative impacts (e.g., risk of injury) were greater for military, and perceived variability in instrumental benefits (e.g., pay, advancement). Upward social comparison (i.e., seeing oneself as worse off) was related to lower perceived fairness, whereas downward social comparison was related to higher perceived fairness. This research informs mechanisms for promoting perceptions of fairness and enhancing military–civilian personnel relations in defense establishments.