March Madness is not just an annual basketball tournament; it can be an annual drain on productivity. This year smart managers and hr professionals are being provided some great tips to turn the games into a morale boosting event.
For three weeks employees will be filling out ballots, trying to determine who is ahead in the office pool, and watch video streams of games and highlights. Even though the Oakland County Sheriff’s office says that office pools are illegal and they will not expend the officer time to enforce the law, the depletion of productivity will still be felt.
The smart approach
Randstad, known for their insightful employee polls, has offered some suggestions for employees and employers to take this typically negative human capital affair and make it positive.
For employers
The key to success for employers is to turn fear and loathing into an embrace of the games. By making the games a positive experience in the workplace, employers can build teamwork and camaraderie. (See some specific recommendations in our related article: How to turn March Madness from low productivity to high morale)
“Company sponsored events that are centered around bringing teams together to perform and ‘win’ as a result of a collective effort will naturally help foster healthy camaraderie at work,” says Abigail Tremble, Randstad’s Director of Learning and Development. “As we know, employees are more likely to be successful and committed when they want to be around their peers at work. Naturally, if company sponsored events can both build rapport and also generate successful work performance you can build teams that enjoy being together and succeeding as a team.”
For employees
Each year throughout the nation employees risk reprimands as they follow the tournament. The most common problem is maintaining the bracket pool on company equipment and time. Yet there are other ways employees are placed on probation or even fired because of March Madness activities.
Yet there are safe ways for employees to minimize the risks if they are smart about it. (See some recommendations in a separate article: How to keep your job during March Madness.)
The start
March Madness will kick-off March 14 when the college basketball team match-ups are announced (6:00 p.m. on WWJ TV-62). The opening round begins on the following Tuesday.
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