Working Paper: NBER ID: w25865
Authors: Achyuta Adhvaryu; Namrata Kala; Anant Nyshadham
Abstract: The assignment of workers to tasks is an important feature of the organization of production within firms. We study how task allocation across workers changes in response to productivity shocks. Pairing hourly productivity data from a ready-made garments firm with granular data on exposure to particulate matter pollution, we show that productivity suffers as a result of pollution shocks; this effect is heterogeneous across workers and tasks. Managers respond by reassigning workers to tasks in which they perform better on average during shocks. This response is larger for managers who we identify, via survey-based measurement, as exhibiting greater managerial attention, and these same managers are also the ones who are most able to mitigate resulting productivity declines.
Keywords: worker productivity; pollution; task allocation; managerial quality
JEL Codes: L23; M11; M54
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Task reallocation (F16) | Worker productivity (J29) |
| Fine PM pollution (Q53) | Worker productivity (J29) |
| Managerial attention (M54) | Task reallocation (F16) |
| Fine PM pollution (Q53) | Task reallocation (F16) |