Media

Abstract
In volume-driven distribution work, the length of a shift is set by customer orders and by how many workers arrive, so employees often do not know when their day will end. This conceptual paper argues that the resulting uncertainty, rather than long hours alone, can set off a self-reinforcing cycle of early departures, next-day absence, and longer days for those who remain. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, it treats that cycle as a resource-loss spiral, and it takes a social-psychological perspective in which withdrawal is shaped by crew norms, perceived fairness, and newcomers' conformity to the norms they encounter. The argument draws on a participant-observer account from a regional distribution center and on published research in labor economics, occupational health, and organizational psychology. In the author's records from that facility, roughly 70 percent of the order selectors hired during the year had left by mid-October, and every new hire worked a schedule without consecutive rest days. A descriptive check of the author's records of daily hours found that early departures were about two and a half times as frequent per shift on long days as on short days, a pattern that held with Sundays excluded and was clearest in the dry section. In models accounting for repeated observations of the same workers, long days were also associated with higher odds of next-day absence and lower individual picking rates, but there was little evidence that departures cluster beyond what day length predicts. The records cannot yet separate the effect of an unpredictable day from the effect of a long one.

Five bodies of evidence are reviewed: the relationship of long working hours to output, injury risk, recovery, and work-family conflict; work and schedule unpredictability as a stressor distinct from workload; the social transmission of absence through team norms; organizational justice; and role stressors. The paper integrates these findings into a model of an uncertainty-withdrawal spiral, states testable propositions, weighs rival explanations, and identifies factors the literature suggests may dampen the cycle, including schedule design. Because most of the reviewed evidence comes from retail, manufacturing, hospitality, and office settings, the model is offered as a framework for research in distribution operations rather than as an established finding there.

​Abstract
As climate change becomes an increasingly urgent global issue, the persistence of climate denial presents a significant barrier to progress. Despite overwhelming scientific evidence from NOAA and NASA, many individuals continue to deny the reality or severity of climate change. Previous studies have examined factors like anti-elitism and anti-egalitarianism in climate skepticism; however, no known research has assessed the relative strength of populist attitudes, religiosity, and locus of control in predicting climate denial. This quantitative, cross-sectional survey was conducted to fill that gap. Locus of control theory, which focuses on how individuals perceive events as within or beyond their control, informed this study. Online surveys were administered via SurveyMonkey to 123 English-speaking adults over 18 in the United States. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that intrinsic religiosity and internal locus of control significantly predicted lower levels of denial, while belief in chance, an external control orientation, predicted higher levels. Populist attitudes were not significant predictors of climate denial. These findings suggested that psychological and religious factors play a critical role in shaping climate beliefs. The results offered insights into educational and communication strategies with the potential to promote pro-environmental behaviors through personal agency and alignment with religious values, fostering greater public acceptance of climate science and facilitate positive social change.

Read more at CBS Baltimore

Join Kojo Nnamdi, Ryan Williams, Dr. Erica Martin Richards, and Sarah Jones on May 18 to talk about the pandemic's effects on our mental health and how to get people the help they need.

This event was made possible by WAMU and Kojo Nnamdi.

Blacks make up approximately one-quarter of the Muslim population in the United States. Despite representing a significant percentage of the population, damaging effects of racial prejudice, bias, and stereotypes skew their perception throughout the American Muslim community. Tracing their legacy back to the first slaves brought to the United States, Black Muslims have been a part of American culture longer than any other ethnic Muslim group. Blacks in the United States have endured slavery, othering, and the effects of bias as constant victims of pervasive institutional racism. As Blacks are often negatively portrayed in the news and media, they frequently deal with adverse treatment due to their social identity. Furthermore, Black Muslims often face intergroup prejudice and identity and experience erasure within their respective Muslim community, despite sharing the same religious belief system. This paper seeks to outline the history of Black Muslims in the United States and propose solutions to mediate the effects of racial prejudice and bias found within the American Muslim community.