The annual calculation of lost workplace productivity during the first round of the NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments is as much of a March Madness tradition as Selection Sunday.
In 2006, CBS even included something called the “Boss Button” with one of its early streaming video sites, which allowed the user to easily toggle from the game of the moment to something that looked like work.
One workplace consulting expert, though, said offices should embrace the college basketball mania and turn it into a team building exercise.
Rick Cobb, of the workplace consulting firm Two Discern, told the WBBM Noon Business Hour that office bracket pools are a great way for people to get to know each other.
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“And it crosses status boundaries,” he said. “I can tell you that if the CEO and someone in the production room are tied for first in the first round of the bracket, there’s going to be some chatter back and forth — and it’s going to be positive and fun, but that means that they’re going to know each other.”
Plus, Cobb said the office has changed dramatically since 2020, so March Madness watch parties could be a good way to get everyone into the office:
“This is a chance for companies to embrace it and get everybody to get together, meet each other, know who they are when they’re walking down the hallway and have some friendly teasing and fun,” he said.
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