From March Madness to Higher Morale

Experts think March Madness brings a morale boost to the office.

Image: file photo

Chances are at the office this week there a lot more people chatting about brackets and basketball, especially as the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament kicks off today.

Employment experts are mixed on whether these types of large-scale distractions destroy productivity for the duration of the games, or provide a big boost in office morale.

On the negative side, human resources consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.has estimated that this year’s NCAA Basketball Tournament could end up costing U.S. firms $1.8 billion in productivity.

And a whopping 58.3 million workers will fill out those NCAA brackets in office pools, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Still, about 41 percent of over 1,000 managers surveyed said that, if handled properly, March Madness can be a positive morale boost, according to a new Office Team Survey.

The distraction doesn’t end after picking brackets because on Thursday and Friday people at work might be watching live streaming video of the games at their desks.

Still, some experts say that the morale boost that results in staffers unifying in a group to talk about the games is positive thing for businesses.

“For the most part, it’s a good thing,” said Jeff Jeff Gilbreth, an associate at Boston, Massachusetts-based Nixon Peabody LLP’s labor and employment practice. “We’re not trying to lawyer out all the fun. But there are a few things employers should remember to make sure it doesn’t get out of hand.”

Employers should make sure that, if the office pool takes place across multiple offices and multiple states that there aren’t gambling laws specific to a certain state that would prohibit these types of office pools, said Gilbreth.