The Madness Over March Madness

March Madness is in full swing. With it, the annual ‘madness over March Madness’ in the workplace has also begun. I’ve read articles that say the hit to productivity in American workplaces will be about $12 billion. Others have it over $13 billion. In my opinion, that’s playing loose with numbers.

Many really great people who are working at savvy employers that have cultivated an enviable culture and employment brand don’t lose any productivity at all. That’s because if they watch a little of a game, they work harder to get the same amount of work done. And many of those lost hours of productivity are in jobs that aren’t hourly anyway. Those exempt from wage and hour laws are paid for the job they do, not the hours they work.

Two things to consider:

1. Is there really so much lost productivity, or is work completed at other times or at a faster pace? 
2. Could it be that the amount of time spent watching some of March Madness just offsets other non-productive time that isn’t quantified?

I’m calling foul!

When I read advice to business leaders about the need to codify rules around March Madness or other activities employees might consider that could negatively impact productivity, I wince. Unless you want to be a policy-driven organization employing policy police, another policy won’t help you.

The reality is that about 100 million brackets are filled out. That’s more than voted for either candidate in the most recent Presidential election…which was the largest turnout in a Presidential election ever. There are about 134 million full-time employees in the US. Guess where a lot of the brackets and the pools happen? 

The workplace.

To make it even more interesting, legal wagering on this year’s March Madness is estimated to reach $3.3 billion. That’s only the legal part. Illegal betting is expected to hit about $12 billion. Guess where a lot of that $12 billion will be wagered?

The workplace.

You can wring your hands over all that, or you can use it.

I say play ball.

Creating a policy forbidding anything March Madness-related won’t create compliance. It will create eyeroll and move things underground. There are better ways to deal with big, temporary phenomena like this. Why not use March Madness as the impetus to improve productivity without throwing another policy at employees who may never read it? Try these ways instead:

• Own It. Not the gambling part; the enthusiasm for March Madness. Offer company-provided and (if needed) low-cost prizes and get everyone having fun together. Organize after-hours parties to watch games together. Cater it, go to a sports bar, or just make it a potluck and BYOB. Use it for camaraderie. When you build that rather than a policy, you have something more substantial to rely on.
• Use It for Teambuilding. Have teams work together to complete a bracket rather than individually. Each team can then compete against others for prizes you provide rather than gambling. Mix it up – get people who don’t typically work together to play together. This kind of play spills over into work relationships, enhancing productivity.
• Create a Productivity Team. You don’t have to mention March Madness. Get a team focused on productivity, educate them on why it matters, and solicit their ideas for improving it. When you do, you will raise awareness and gain efficiency. If your informal leaders are part of this process, they will own it, and others will buy in. They will uncover waste from the trenches that you would never find from above. Your issue may not really be March Madness at all.
• Create Productivity Awards. Give it a name that fits your culture, language, and vibe. I have a few clients who could call such an award the “Gets Crap Done Award.” That would fit their culture, though they may substitute the word “crap” for something that sounds authentic to them. Allow peers to nominate peers. Those who are distracted by any kind of productivity drain won’t get nominated.
• Create Gainsharing or Profit Sharing. Structure an incentive program for employees that will introduce peer pressure to eliminate wasted time, reduce expenses, and increase profits. You can even create a plan that funds itself. Peer pressure can be a wonderful thing. Harness it this way, and it lifts a higher standard than you ever could by a policy.
• Address Deficient Productivity. The issue isn’t March Madness. Devoting too much work time to March Madness is a symptom, a behavior, or a value that may not be in sync with yours. Talk about the underlying issue rather than just its current manifestation. There is a job to be done, and each team member must pull their weight. When someone isn’t, address it timely. Deal with issues in the other eleven months.

Use Workplace Distractions to Enhance Productivity

In the grand scheme of things, March Madness is just one of many things that could negatively impact productivity. There will always be others. Find a way to use those to enhance productivity rather than letting them erode it. If you try to pass or revise policies every time an event in society creates a new productivity drain, your own productivity will be abysmal. And you won’t enjoy your team or your life.

With all the ugly stuff going on in the world around us right now, your team needs some fun, some camaraderie, and some motivation. Use March Madness to enhance all that, and you will increase productivity, not lose it.

Need help defining or reinforcing a culture of productivity? Let’s talk.