WASHINGTON – March Madness brings with it lower productivity in the workplace.
College basketball’s annual tournament saps about 90 minutes of employee attention each day games are played, says employment outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. It’s estimated 2.5 million workers will spend part of their workdays watching the games.
With people watching games on smartphones and tablets, in addition to laptops and desktops, the three-week basketball bonanza could produce 8.4 million hours of lost productivity.
With private-sector workers making an average of $23.29 per hour, the first two days of the tournament could mean businesses are paying distracted workers about $175 million.
“Statisticians, economists, academia and college basketball fans will likely scoff at that estimate, and rightfully so. It is to be taken with a grain of salt, as it is meant to be a tongue-in-cheek look at how technology continues to blur the line between our professional and personal lives,” said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, in a news release.
While Challenger says March Madness will not even register a “blip on the nation’s economic radar,” it does affect businesses on a micro level.
“The company’s Internet speeds may be slower, some workers will not respond to emails as promptly, and lunch breaks may extend beyond the usual time limits,” he said.
Bottom line: March Madness can be a headache for IT departments and managers.
For employees, Challenger suggests watching the games in moderation.
For managers, cut your staff some slack.
WTOP’s Dick Uliano contributed to this report. Follow WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
