Benefits March 19, 2013

Basketball Not Creating Madness in the Workplace

March 19, 2013 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – Most managers feel activities in the workplace that celebrate March Madness have no impact on the morale or productivity of their employees, according to a survey.
Reported by

OfficeTeam asked managers if they felt March Madness (NCAA basketball tournament) activities at the workplace (e.g., watching games, participating in pools not involving money) had a positive or negative impact on employee morale, 5% said the impact is very positive, 15% said it is somewhat positive, 75% said it has no impact, 3% said the impact is somewhat negative, 1% said it is very negative and 1% had no response. 

When managers were queried on whether March Madness activities in the workplace have a positive or negative impact on employee productivity, 5% said the impact is very positive, 11% said it is somewhat positive, 75% said it has no impact, 8% said it has a somewhat negative impact and 1% said it has a very negative impact. 

Despite the findings that such activities have little impact on the workplace, Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam, recommends employers recognize the appeal of them rather than ignore them. “Employees need a chance to bond with coworkers over shared interests,” said Hosking, adding that these group activities can provide a channel for team building. 

OfficeTeam polled more than 1,000 senior managers at companies with 20 employees or more. 

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