Instead of resisting March Madness, employers should consider finding ways to embrace it

March 9, 2018

During March Madness, much of the country will rally around team selections and competition, hoping that they have mastered bracketology.

As in year’s past, experts predict the gloom of lost productivity by employees distracted by the NCAA tournament.

For instance, a year ago, global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. estimated the cost in terms of lost wages paid to distracted and unproductive workers could reach as high as $2.1 billion.

The firm predicted about 23.7 million workers will use company time to research, construct and check their brackets.

Each hour of unproductive work time for those workers will cost employers $615 million, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

These statistics may cause employers to publish threatening policies tamping down on these unproductive activities.

Like last year, I encourage a different approach.

There is little more that can bring diverse and divisive communities together than college sports — especially college basketball.

Instead of resisting March Madness, employers should consider finding ways to embrace it. The tournament presents a simple and exciting opportunity to bring employees together for a common purpose, encouraging fun competition that can build relationships.

While employers should encourage participation in celebrating victories and defeats, employers should unequivocally prohibit gambling at work.

Virginia law defines “illegal gambling” as “the making, placing or receipt of any bet or wager in the commonwealth of money or other thing of value, made in exchange for a chance to win a prize, stake or other consideration or thing of value, dependent upon the result of any game, contest or any other event the outcome of which is uncertain or a matter of chance, whether such game, contest or event occurs or is to occur inside or outside the limits of the commonwealth.”

Employees cannot give anything of value in exchange for the chance to win something of value that depends on chance and the outcome of the games. Many will “gamble” between friends over the tournament, and few, if any, will be prosecuted, but employers should nonetheless set a “no gambling” expectation if employers promote March Madness at work.

Employers should encourage employees to create brackets, and then submit those brackets within the organization for the chance to win prizes provided by the employer. In this case, the employee is not exchanging something of value for the chance to win.

Department managers should be encouraged to hold bracketology luncheons, game viewing events, college jersey wearing days and fun competition events, if the workplace can accommodate these activities.

Departments can decorate the office, and even get a portable hoop and hold contests with prizes like gift cards or a movie bucket.

If employers offer any athletic type event, they should consider employees with disabilities and make sure they can participate fully.

When the tournament reaches the final 16 or 8, organizations can implement new events and opportunities to engage workers, by redoing brackets or assigning different departments to remaining teams. The department with the final team can win a pizza party, paid for by the employer.

In addition, the employee(s) who created the most successful bracket should be recognized.

Coordinating these events creates an ideal leadership opportunity for top performers the organization is looking to develop, and also presents a chance to build inclusion and promote collaboration across teams or departments.

Although it is critical that these events do not create a distraction that impacts the business demands, many employers are desperate to find ways to build collaboration and relationships within teams, and March Madness presents an ideal opportunity.

March Madness participation can be relatively inexpensive, fun, and will encourage inclusion, collaboration, and healthy competition, which could build positive relationships among teams.