Purpose -This paper aims to explore the performance appraisal (PA) aspects that are connected with organizational justice, and more specifically three kinds of justice, namely distributive, procedural and interactional justice. Design/methodology/approach -The research is based on a sample of 170 respondents who answered a questionnaire giving their perceptions on the purpose and criteria of PA, their satisfaction from PA and organizational justice. Findings -The results show that procedural, distributive and interactional justice are related with different elements of performance appraisal. Elements of satisfaction are strongly related to all aspects of organizational justice. The PA criteria are related to procedural justice.Research limitations/implications -The main limitation is that the research provides information based only on one source, that of the appraisee. However, it highlights the role of employee satisfaction to organizational justice, linking different sources of satisfaction to different elements of justice. Practical implications -This paper has practical implications for HRD, as it provides HR practitioners with suggestions on how to increase the perceived justice of the PA system. Originality/value -The value of this paper is to HR practitioners who design PA systems, and also managers acting as appraisers of their subordinates.