(PCM) A new report has surfaced which claims that college basketball’s March Madness, which is very nearly upon us, cost employers a staggering $2 billion in work productivity. However, many fear that banning March Madness brackets and pools in the office would be incredibly damaging to workplace morale, heck, even the President of the United States makes his picks for a March Madness bracket.
$2 billion sounds like an incredibly high number, but when employers look at the amount of time their employees spend filling out brackets, taking part in office pools and both watching and talking about the games it equals out to quite a bit of lost productivity in the workplace.
Some companies are not at all worried about a loss in productivity during March Madness and are even beginning to embrace it in some very unique ways. Some companies are trying to prevent unplanned absences during the tournament, but offering up catered luncheons during the first two days and even going as far as to bring in TV’s so that people can watch the games. These companies feel it is better to join in on the fun rather than prevent it from occurring.
Seems like a good idea to us! Will you be participating in March Madness? Do you feel it has an effect on your overall work productivity?