Minding March Madness on the job? This survey says it's a good thing

General view of March Madness basketball during practice before the First Four in the 2019 NCAA Tournament at Dayton Arena.
Photo credit Brian Spurlock -USA TODAY Sports
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The NCAA tournament tips off on Tuesday night. Even though March Madness can be quite a distraction for people at work, a new survey says the good may actually outweigh the bad. 

A survey from global staffing firm Robert Half, shows 72 percent of senior managers reported March Madness was a morale boost for workers. And more than half say it even has a positive impact on productivity.

A lot of companies plan activities based on the tournament.

READ: A look inside the numbers to try to narrow down the bracket

Nicholas Crocetti, the managing director of a firm in Plymouth Meeting, can vouch for that.

"In fact tomorrow we have a big event in Conshohocken, inviting a lot of our clients to the event," Crocetti said. "So, it's a big kickoff for March Madness."

And it is a great way, he says, to build better relationships with clients and to maybe ease some of the stress in the office.

"It's a lot of fun and I think it does ease the tension in the office, brings people together, talking about something other than work," he said.

As for the distraction aspect, Crocetti says there are a few different pools going on, but there's a rule in place about watching at your desk.

"Generally, the games are not on in the office," he said.

But that doesn't mean they can't go to the lunchroom.

"We'll have a TV running all the time," Crocetti said. "So people will stop by and take a peak."