Uniting the Workplace: How Inclusion, Fairness, and Trust Weave Stronger Bonds of Organizational Embeddedness – A Conceptual Exploration

Abstract

This conceptual paper explores the dynamic interplay between perceived workplace inclusion, interpersonal trust, perceived organizational embeddedness, and perceived workplace fairness, adopting the lenses of social exchange theory and equity theory. The proposed conceptual model posits that establishing an inclusive work atmosphere that prioritizes fairness enhances interpersonal trust, which enhances employees’ integration into the firm. However, research on the integrated effects of perceived workplace inclusion and workplace fairness on organizational embeddedness, particularly in South Asian contexts, is scarce despite the increased emphasis on employee integration (Mujajati et al., 2024). This is a significant gap since varied workforces make it difficult for businesses to sustain their performance and integrate talent. The central argument is that perceived workplace inclusion, which is mediated by interpersonal trust and moderated by perceptions of fairness, is a crucial mechanism for improving organizational embeddedness. This fills a theoretical gap in embeddedness research, which has traditionally concentrated on relational and structural factors without incorporating perspectives on justice and inclusion. Understanding these relationships is extremely important for maintaining staff integration, especially in areas of hospitality, information technology, and financial services, where labour markets are dynamic and workforces are diverse throughout Sri Lanka and the larger South Asian region (Wickramasingha, 2023). We emphasise the need for future research to test these ideas across different industries, such as hospitality, information technology, and financial services, in service-oriented and knowledge-intensive sectors. Practical consequences involve establishing inclusion-focused policies and initiatives that encourage workplace fairness and interpersonal trust and enhance organizational embeddedness.