March Madness Could Cost Employers Nearly $2 Billion

[eridani]

http://www.manufacturing.net/blogs/2015/03/march-madness-could-cost-employers-nearly-2-billion?et_cid=4467921&et_rid=54679148&type=cta

A co-worker of mine just distributed printed NCAA Division 1 men's basketball tournament brackets to the rest of the office. Not for a bracket pool, but just for informational purposes for those who wanted them.

Such has become the norm across workplaces across the country as one of sports' biggest moneymakers is once again about to start, and for a hefty price to employers. From the time the tournament field of 68 was announced Sunday evening until the national champion is crowned April 6, millions of employees will spend work hours filling out brackets and watching tournament games, creating a major drag on workplace productivity.

How much? Chicago-based global outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas estimates that the total cost of lost workplace productivity could be as high as $1.9 billion from now until the tournament ends. The same firm has done similar studies in the past, including a figure of $13.4 billion in lost productivity due to fantasy football in 2013. Last year the firm predicted that 50 million Americans would participate in March Madness pools. This year's figure is 60 million.

[tridim]

1. How dare workers have fun at work for a few hours once a year.

And at the expense of the 1% no less!

I feel just awful for them and their 0.0001% pay cut.

[eridani]

4. Edpecially since so many are required to be on call most of the time, and spend

--lots of time at the office. "Work" and "life" haven't been separate for many people for quite a long time.

[B Calm]

2. I think Wisconsin will win it!

[Inkfreak]

5. I've got 2 brackets and Wisconsin is the winner in one.

Notre Dame to win the other...cuz I'm an ACC fanboy!!

[Brickbat]

3. Having seen what employers avoid doing to save money or boost productivity because it might empower

their employees to some extent, I really don't give a shit.

[deutsey]

6. Bingo!

[Takket]

7. considering businesses are making more and more money

and paying people less and less, to the tune of trillions of dollars sitting in off shore accounts, I think they can absord the slight slowdown in productivity.

[deutsey]

8. Oh, boo-fucking-hoo

The rest of the year costs employees a helluva lot more in terms of quality of life.

Start sharing the wealth that we create more fairly and maybe I'll give a shit.

[JonLP24]

9. I'm more concerned over the billions the NCAA will make

when the NCAA refuses to compensate their labor, going to lengths to refusing to call them employees

[FSogol]

10. Why do I never see any reports on the positive effects of informal officewide events like

office brackets? Plus, sometimes productivity increases when people have some time to slack off. Ever feel recharged after a vacation, Holiday, or snow day? Companies spend time and money trying to figure out how to get people to work better together and increase office moral, but then want to whine about the NCAA tournament?

[GusBob]

11. "could" "nearly" be a bunch of bullshit

Most certainly is a bullshit survey