The Impact of Extreme Heat on Workplace Harassment and Discrimination
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Author(s): Ayushi Narayan
Date: 2022
Topics: Climate Change, Conflict Causes
How does extreme heat impact harassment and discrimination in the workplace? This paper finds that US Postal Service workers experience a roughly 5% increase in Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) incidents on days when maximum temperatures exceed 90 °F relative to days when maximum temperatures fall between 60 °F and 70 °F. The uncovered effect appears to be driven by changes in the number of incidents rather than in their reporting. The study suggests that improvements in environmental working conditions may help reduce the incidence of labor market discrimination.