Dr. Karel Sovak on Promoting Justice in the Workplace

"Justice is generally best known by its counterpart – injustice.

"Justice has been defined as giving everyone their due or using strengths as a means to provide for the betterment of those who are marginalized or vulnerable. Many might label as fair, honest or upholding integrity. Again, justice tends to be exemplified when it is most absent.

"In his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote, 'injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.' Dr. King went on to describe the steps necessary to mount a campaign against any injustice - 'collection of facts, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action'.  King called justice a 'positive peace'. We can see everywhere justice has been promoted has led to greater dignity for every person involved. There has to be human dignity in our work, and as Pope Francis stated, 'the world of work is a human priority.' Justice has to be on the side of the most vulnerable, in which work provides them with the greatest dignity. Upholding that dignity will also provide a service to the common good.  This is the greatest charity we can provide.

"In the workplace, many don’t think of charity in this way. . . ."

In a recent commentary, Dr. Karel Sovak, associate professor in the Gary Tharaldson School of Business at the University of Maryland, reflected on the role of charity and justice in the workplace.

To access Dr. Sovak's complete post, please visit:

Those Catholic Men: Virtue at Work: Promoting Justice in the Workplace (2 MAY 18)