Corporations and COVID-19 in the Workplace
79 Pages Posted: 12 Aug 2022
Date Written: July 31, 2022
Abstract
Using novel workplace COVID infection data, we document large variation in workplace infection rates across industries, firms, and establishments. Firms with higher infection rates experienced larger declines in operating performance in 2020. An employer's 2020 workplace infection rate is positively related to its pre-pandemic workplace injury rate, even across establishments within a firm, but unrelated to financing constraint measures. We conduct extensive tests to allay concerns that unobserved differences across employers drive the COVID - injury rate relation. Firms with higher pre-pandemic injury rates also experienced more COVID-related employee complaints and larger stock price declines early in the pandemic.
Note:
Funding Information: None.
Conflict of Interests: None.
Keywords: COVID-19, Organizational Resilience, Organizational Capital, Workplace Safety, Financing Constraints
JEL Classification: G10, G30, I10, J81, M10
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation