Because most games are played during business hours, Mason will be hard-pressed to keep the college basketball frenzy from spilling into his workday at America First Credit Union's Riverdale headquarters. He has been careful to schedule his mock tournament games before work and not to engage in an office pool, which America First prohibits.
But he knows it's futile to try to resist checking game scores and stats online when the tourney is in full swing.
"It's like a black hole," says Mason, a Utah State University Aggie fan who has picked Duke to win. "I get looking and I can't stop. . . . It's my heroin."
Millions of NCAA fans get caught up in March Madness, and those who work can be easily distracted by office pools, sports Web sites and televisions tuned to a big game.
That poses a dilemma for employers and human resource managers: Is March Madness a productivity drain or harmless indulgence?
A few minutes here and there to check sports stats can add up. U.S. businesses stand to lose as much as $890 million in lost productivity during the tournament, according to a study by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a Chicago-based outplacement firm.
Chief Executive John Challenger calls the estimate conservative. It doesn't, for example, account for the fact that fans may spend more time on the Internet this year because they now can watch live games at http://www.ncaasports.com thanks to a new NCAA partnership with College Sports TV and CBS SportsLine.com.
But Challenger, who is rooting for University of Illinois, doesn't recommend banning the tournament from the workplace. Although employees shouldn't be watching whole games on their computers, they should have outlets to express their enthusiasm at work.
"The work force is so disconnected," he says. "If employers can find a way to bring people together, to give [employees] something to talk about that's not the latest business transaction, they can create more rapport and more trust."
Challenger recommends posting an updated bracket in a common area and keeping the break room television tuned to coverage so employees don't have to sneak online to feed their sports mania. To avoid illegal gambling, he suggests holding a free office pool with a gift certificate or paid day off for the winner.
Rick Stratford, a partner with Peterson Partners in Salt Lake City, runs a free office pool with a sought-after "bragging rights" prize. A Brigham Young University fan who won't mind if the University of Utah Utes lose today in the first round, Stratford has won his pool four of the past five years.
"Money's irrelevant," he says. "It's who can talk smack the rest of the year."
rwinters@sltrib.com
March Madness and employee morale
* Organize a company pool. Employees can enter for free and the winner is given a gift certificate.
* Offer flexible schedules. On the four days when tournament games are played during work hours, allow workers the opportunity to arrive early so they can work a full shift and leave in time to see the games.
* Keep the television in the break room tuned to game coverage.
* Relax the dress code (for employees not meeting with customers) for the first Friday of the tournament so fans can wear the sweat shirt of their favorite college team.
* Keep a bracket posted. For employers without companywide Internet access, keep a large, updated tournament bracket in a common area so workers can check their teams' progress.
* Offer anti-tourney prizes. Give employees who couldn't care less about basketball a chance to win. Those who aren't interested in the tournament can enter their names in a special raffle drawing for an afternoon off or a special gift from an area retailer.
Source: Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.
