Oppressive heat

I think I have not been the only one to treat someone badly on extremely hot days, or at least in a period of stress in which the extreme heat has certainly not helped to calm the waters. What is the relationship between global warming and aggressive behavior in the world of work? A recent study published in PNAS shows that in super hot days the number of reports of harassment and discrimination is higher than in milder days.
The data used by the study contains detailed information on 250,000 complaints about Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) violations that led to more than 800,000 allegations of harassment and discrimination at more than 12,000 U.S. post offices from 2004 to 2019. Post office data was geocoded and then merged with localized daily weather data. Furthermore, also exploiting the information relating to the day on which the report occurred, the authors are able to relate the timing of the incidents of harassment and discrimination with that of "thermal stress".

The results show that on extremely hot days, i.e. those with temperatures above 32.2 °C, 5% more EEO accidents occur than on the coldest days, i.e. when the maximum temperatures are between 15.5 °C and 21.1 °C . Days with pleasant weather, i.e. between 10°C and 15.5°C and between 21.1°C and 26.6°C, do not experience the same increase in reports.
Further analyzes show that both indoor and outdoor postal workers are affected by heat stress and therefore the direct effects of extreme heat on working conditions cannot fully explain the findings watch yourself.
More in detail, the author examines the differences in the effect of heat stress due to the complainant's occupation, comparing the effects for postal and non-postal couriers.
A potential difference for these two specializations may be that postmen spend more time outdoors and therefore may be more sensitive to heat stress. Harassment and discrimination complaints can only be filed against supervisors and supervisors of postal and non-postal carriers would be similarly exposed to heat.

Additionally, mail carriers may have limited interactions with their supervisors during the hottest part of the day when they are out delivering mail. Both of these factors could potentially cushion potential differences in heat reactions between these two types of carriers. The analyzes conducted by the author show a significant effect of heat stress for both postal and non-postal carriers, suggesting that heat stress influences behavior even among those workers not directly exposed to heat during the working day. The results are therefore in line with the existing scientific literature, which highlights the negative effects of extreme heat on judges, production workers and warehouse employees working indoors.

However, the effect of heat stress appears to be of slightly greater magnitude for mail carriers, which may be consistent with increased exposure to heat and, consequently, more reports of discrimination and harassment occurring among mail carriers . Furthermore, a number of more technical analyzes suggest that the main findings are the result of a change in the number of actual accidents rather than in the likelihood of reporting them.
In conclusion, the study adds a further element to the analysis of the negative consequences that global warming can have, highlighting how heat stress can increase episodes of harassment and discrimination in the workplace.

Pierluigi Conzo
NP November 2022