Will March Madness Take Effect in Your Office?

Published on March 31st, 2010
Written by Public Record Finder Staff

As the top 65 college basketball teams are announced in March, so begins the annual tradition of NCAA March Madness. The three week tournament serves as the pinnacle of the college basketball season and unites both rabid and casual basketball fans alike. While the tournament itself can be extremely exciting, the amount of NCAA bracket betting that takes place in homes and offices across America helps ensure that even the most casual of fan keeps a close eye on the tournament. Scouring over stats and performing people searches on the rosters to find out who will pull off the next big upset, nearly every person will do some sort of research before filling out their bracket. Whether it's taking the scientific approach of analyzing stats or picking the teams with the best uniforms, the concept of performing a thorough analysis through a public record search has merits outside of the tournament as well. Though bosses across America may ultimately lament the drop in production those first few days, the camaraderie that can surround an office pool and the people search research that goes into a bracket is something that shouldn't necessarily be overlooked.

The NCAA estimates more than 35 million Americans will participate in office pools this year, and that 92% of fans who stream games online do so at work. Despite the fact that the NCAA strictly prohibits betting amongst its coaches and athletes, the proliferation of free bracket challenges through websites such as ESPN and Yahoo have contributed to the increase in office pool participation. While some office pools are famous for exchanging thousands of dollars on NCAA brackets, the typical office pot includes anywhere from $5 to $20 per employee.

In the past March Madness brackets have been seen as a distraction in the workplace, however recent polls have shown that nearly 41% of office managers saw March Madness as having a positive effect on employee morale, and that 80% reported a positive or negligible effect on overall office production. Despite the rise in public sentiment around March Madness office pools, consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, estimates that March Madness accounts for around $1.8 billion in lost productivity the first weekend. Based on an average of 20 minutes of wasted time per day, Challenger's estimates have been criticized for exaggerating the effects March Madness.

Experts suggest that for offices that do participate in March Madness pools this year, setting up guidelines ahead of time can help maintain office productivity. Whether it's setting up a TV in the break room, throwing in a gift certificate of your own, or subtly suggesting a day off for the office sports nut, taking a proactive and innovative approach to March Madness will likely pay off in the long run.