March Madness Productivity “Loss,” Fact or Fiction?

That time of the year has come upon us. That special time when the flowers bloom, the mercury on the thermometer rises, and, especially important for Northern Colorado residents, the patios finally open for the all-important purpose of beer consumption.

It also means that tournament time is quickly consuming sports fans’ remaining grey matter. When the NCAA tournament began last week, you can bet (see what I did there?) that there were quite a few office pools, survivor games, and various other means of betting on the tournament going on in a lot of different local businesses.

Wait, haven’t those who are allowing these reprehensible wagers seen the data on productivity loss? In 2006 Chicago-based outplacement consulting firm Challenger, Grey and Christmas released a press release stating that employees entering into office pools, talking to other employees about the games, and checking online scoreboards would cost the U.S. economy over 3.8 billion dollars. Mind you this was three years before CBS had implemented the ability to stream live games online or via their iPhone application.

But this doesn’t account for the everyday “wasted time” that employees tend to encounter, like conversations with coworkers, extended coffee breaks, online shopping or the occasional look-see at a former flame’s Facebook profile. And doesn’t this same technology allow workers to get constant work-related email updates on their Blackberry, do work from home and stay connected to the organization?

In this economy (you’re as tired of reading that phrase as we’re tired of writing it, believe me), it’s time for managers to embrace the event as opposed to trying to manage the productivity “loss” so often reported by media outlets around the country. Companies are cutting jobs, benefits, salaries, working hours and 401(k) contributions simultaneously. While March Madness may be a bit of a disruption for a few members of the workforce, it provides a welcome distraction for employees who are consistently on edge, and may also prove to be an excellent way to increase team camaraderie. After all, even with the interruption it provides, doesn’t work still tend to get done? I’ve yet to be told about a deadline that can’t be met because Virginia Commonwealth is playing Florida State.

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