Fair Access to Employer-Sponsored Learning in IT Teams: A Procedural Justice Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31305/rrijm.2026.v11.n10.002Keywords:
employee development, information technology, learning opportunities, procedural justice, training allocationAbstract
Limited opportunities for employer-sponsored learning can leave IT teams choosing between immediate project demands and employees' longer-term development. Yet selection does not settle access: an employee offered a place may still be unable to attend. This focused conceptual review brings research on organisational justice, employee development, training allocation and managerial credibility to these decisions. It develops four propositions concerning the fit between selection criteria and purpose, the accuracy of explanations, usable reconsideration and fulfilment of commitments after deferral. The argument follows what happens to a request beyond the initial decision, including cases in which an employee trusts a manager to review it again but doubts that attendance will become possible. This separates confidence in future consideration from confidence in usable access. Identical treatment is not necessarily fair, and an adequate explanation does not establish that a decision is justified. The propositions offer a basis for examining the allocation of learning opportunities in information technology teams; their relationships and application to this setting require empirical investigation.
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