With March Madness upon us (college basketball’s NCAA tournament for those of us who could care less) there’s a lot of talk about lost productivity due to workday engagement with the games. This is especially true now that the games are being broadcast over the Internet -making it possible for employees to watch from their desktops.
This Washington Post article explains how some companies are simply shutting them off by blocking access to the tournament site. But in the cat and mouse game that is workplace recreation, some websites like CBS’s SportsLine are offering a “Boss Button.” A simple click while watching a game will switch the screen to a spreadsheet.
In any event, it’s no laughing matter. By some estimates the economy will lose productivity valued at more than $3.8 billion.
What are you doing, if anything, to curb the enthusiasm?
While it’s a proven productivity killer, John Challenger (of Challenger, Gray and Christmas) seems to think it’s well worth the cost when you think of it as a tool for employee retention. From CFO.com today: http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/5627766?f=alerts
No less than 2 minutes after I hit the ‘Post’ button on my last blog entry on March Madness I notice your recent post that is almost identical. I guess great mind think alike.
Ridiculous…At my last company we had TVs in all the lobbies just for purposes like this so that everyone could stay informed on important events, etc.