The impact of extreme heat on workplace harassment and discrimination

Ayushi Narayan
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Ayushi Narayan: a Department of Economics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 01238

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2022, vol. 119, issue 39, e2204076119

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: discrimination; harassment; extreme heat (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nas:journl:v:119:y:2022:p:e2204076119

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