In that regard, absolute fairness would always require that individuals be trustworthy, that they treat others with the same respect and care they would hope to receive, and that they would conduct themselves within any community as a citizen who recognizes the rights and sensibilities of all other citizens. Therefore, it is not necessarily that fairness is the most important; rather, it is that fairness is the single pillar that could be most accurately described as encompassing all of the others. As a manager, I would implement a moral compass by presenting my employees with the principles and values expected by the organization first, without reference to specific policies. I would introduce the specific policies only afterwards and, in that process, I would make sure to connect the principles to the policies. As an employee, I would be more comfortable following principles (and principle-based policies) than strict policies without the support of justifiable policies. Policies can be unfair and unjust whereas principles necessarily limit policies to those that are logically consistent with those principles (Mihaly, 2007). Also, from the employee's perspective, it is better...

Whereas principle-based policies can be understood and anticipated, non-principle-based policies cannot be understood or predicted, except maybe in relation to the personalities, preferences, or convenience of the policy-makers. The former can engender a communal sense of responsibility to uphold organizational principles; the latter cannot and are more likely to breed resentments and deliberate attempts to circumvent official "policies" for the convenience of employees.
References

Berman, E.M. And West, J.P. (2006). The Ethics Edge (2nd edition). Washington, D.C.

ICMA Press.

Halbert, T. And Ingulli, E. (2008). Law & Ethics in the Business Environment.

Cincinnati: West Legal Studies.

Mihaly, M. "Moral Theory: The Fundamentals." Ethics & Behavior Vol. 17, No. 4;

(2007): 406-407.

Robbins, S.P. And Judge, T.A. (2009). Organizational Behavior. Upper Saddle River,

NJ: Prentice Hall.