Employers advised to embrace March Madness

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Mar 20, 2007 by Staci Elder Hensley

In Roman days, the rule for those in charge was "Beware the Ides of March." Today, the challenge for employers is more akin to "Survivor: March Madness."

The 19-day event, in which 64 NCAA men's college basketball teams compete for the national championship, began March 15 and will end April 2. Many of the games are broadcast during regular business hours, resulting in approximately $1.2 billion in lost productivity costs across the country.

Instead of clamping down on Madness-related slacking, employers are better off embracing the excitement generated by the tournament. In fact, it's an ideal time to build morale in the office, according to John A. Challenger, CEO of Chicago-based Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a global outplacement consulting firm.

Over the past two decades, the lines between workplace and personal life have become increasingly blurred. Many companies, Challenger said, realize that more employees are completing office work outside the traditional 8-to-5 business hours. Because of this, they are more tolerant of employees tending to personal needs during the day, even if it's filling out brackets for a March Madness pool. And, in return, responsible employees adjust their schedules to make sure their workplace obligations are met.

"Many people see this as companies becoming more lenient; I look at it as being more realistic," said Brian Fayak, president and CEO of Nextep, a Norman-based human resources outsourcing firm. "Embracing events like March Madness in a positive way helps create engaged employees, and engaged employees are productive employees."

Fayak knows what he's talking about - last year Nextep was voted "best place to work" in Oklahoma, based on a state chambers of commerce-sponsored employee survey. The company will use the funds raised through its own March Madness pools to help fund community service projects.

This year productivity nationwide is expected to drop even further, as many fans take advantage of live streaming video on March Madness on demand. Initiated last year by NCAAsports.com and CBS Sports, the service is free and allows fans to watch the first 56 games over the Internet. Limiting Internet viewing to a centrally located computer may be a good compromise for some companies. That's because streaming video uses a great deal of bandwidth, which can slow down everyone's connections and lower productivity.

Gallup Poll findings state that 29 percent of Americans consider themselves college basketball fans. That translates to about 22.9 million workers who are likely to spend time surfing March Madness- related sites during the tournament.

March Madness morale boosters

Instead of clamping down on distracted employees, personnel experts recommend using the preoccupation with March Madness to foster camaraderie in the office.

Here are some suggestions:

* Select a team colors day. Let office fans wear their team T- shirts or sweatshirts. Some companies have charged a small fee (say $5) for this privilege, with the money being donated to a local charity.

* Offer temporary flexible schedules.

On the days that tournaments are played during work hours, allow workers to arrive earlier or later than usual.

* Organize a company pool. Employees can enter free of charge, with the winner receiving a prize such as a gift certificate to a favorite local store or restaurant.

* Select your own company MVPs. Depending on the size of the company, these office MVPs could be coordinated with the 64 teams initially in the tournament, or refined to the Sweet 16, Elite Eight or Final Four.

* For those not into basketball, offer "anti-tourney" prizes, such as an afternoon off or a free lunch.

* Keep the games on in the company lunch room or meeting room, where everyone can gather and enjoy.

* Post brackets in the company break room. A large, regularly updated tournament bracket allows those without Internet access (or those who must get work done) to check their team's progress.