In the article, “Prohibit or Embrace it? Managing March Madness in the Workplace,” featured in the Daily Business Review, Attorney Lisa McGlynn gives advice to employers who want to minimize the damage caused by March Madness, which is estimated to cost businesses up to $1.9 billion in lost wages paid to distracted and unproductive workers.
March Madness is one of the most exciting sporting events of the year, and it is once again right around the corner. In addition to potential heartbreak for diehard fans of certain teams, it also can cause some major headaches for employers. Accordingly, this is a good time to consider what should be done to prepare your business for the madness to come.
The biggest impact March Madness has for employers unquestionably is the loss of productivity. While other sporting events like the Super Bowl take place during nontraditional work hours and consist of a single event, March Madness goes on for weeks, and many of the early games take place during the normal workday. The outplacement and coaching consultant firm Challenger Gray & Christmas Inc. estimates that 60 million Americans fill out brackets for March Madness. All of them need time to fill out the brackets as well as research their choices.
Once the brackets are complete, individuals have a vested interest in how their selections fare, and many employees can watch or follow games on their mobile phones as well as on company computers. The first few days of the tournament take place during the workweek where more than a dozen games will be played.
To read the full article, please visit Daily Business Review.
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