You Bet on What?

March 18, 2009 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - March Madness is coming and office pools will likely be a common sight in the office, but sports is not the only thing workers bet on.

Workers surveyed by CareerBuilder.com reported the most unusual office pools they’ve placed bets in, including:

  • How far the Dow Jones would drop that week,
  • Number of emails new manager would send in one day,
  • Who in the office would win a burrito eating contest,
  • When the gigantic snow pile in the parking lot would melt,
  • Co-workers’ cholesterol numbers,
  • When the building would be condemned,
  • How long it would take for someone to break up, and
  • Who would be the next Pope.

Regarding March Madness, nearly one-in-five workers (18%) said they have participated in March Madness pools at work, according to a CareerBuilder.com press release.

Men are more likely to get in on the pools than women. Twenty-four percent of male workers said they have participated in March Madness pools in the office, compared to 11% of females.

By region, more workers in the Midwest have played March Madness brackets than any other region. Nearly a quarter (23%) of workers in the Midwest said they have bet on a March Madness pool at work, compared to 18% in the Northeast, 16% in the South, and 15% in the West, the press release said.

CareerBuilder.com surveyed 8,038 U.S. workers between November 12 and December 1, 2008.

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