$1.7B Lost in the Madness

Is anyone else getting tired of stories about March Madness being a waste of money for employers? First, if business leaders can not control their own employees, they have bigger problems than this! Second, how come there are never any stories about time being wasted around the holidays when numerous female employees do their Christmas shopping online?

The ancient Romans, when their citizens needed to be distracted from the problems of the empire, held games in the Coliseum. We do the same thing with March Madness but don't feed Christians to the lions at half-time.

This is why American jobs are being sent overseas. As an employer, I pay my people to work. They demand the pay. Why is it unfair for me to demand the work. As a result of things like this, I have eliminated every single employee and now work 18 hours a day.

This is a story? Does the report assume that actual work would get done during this 'wasted' time otherwise? How do we know that people wouldn't just be wasting time doing something else like discussing American Idol? Seems like there's a least a $3 billion dollar benefit to some people so is it really wasted then?

I wonder if estimates are made on the little extras employees do for their employers such as, working through their lunch breaks, 10 minutes here or there extra worked and un-paid? Coming in early, etc... I thought American workers were some of the most productive in the world. Hmmmmmmmm

So what! If this is all our managers have got to worry about, something is not right.

We are one of the hardest working nations in this world. Consider March Madness a means of madness prevention in our corporate world. It's ironic even our office escape from reality is a game of competition, wit, and luck trying to best our fellow coworkers. I think we could find a cool $1.7 billion lost in our Federal government before the tourney ends. This is what should be referred as "March Madness".

Congress will cost the United States $2.5B in wasted work time this year.

These stats are always such a crock. They're predicated on the false assumption that if an employee is checking out March Madness, then their work isn't being done. The reality is, every office worker has down time. Even if they take more down time than usual, it probably just means some work that would be done today is getting done tomorrow. The employer didn't lose any money that they wouldn't have spent otherwise. The work is still being done - no money is being lost. Faux news.

I doubt the wasted time at work would actually cost employers 1.7b. What really sticks out to me is that we are actually betting 7 BILLION dollars when everyone is crying that this country is in a recession. If we can bet that kind of money on a basketball tournament then I think we are doing just fine.

Employers might just get more productivity out of their employees if they would realize that a person (even the employer/supervisor) does not work every minute on the time clock and if they would get involved with the employees. Compassion and understanding go much farther than the ball and chain and whip to getting a valuable employee.

I agrwee with Chase. The work will be done and they are doing a quick check of scores and standings. I wonder if they checked to see if workers are there more to be a part of the office excitement of frenzy? If they are that off task maybe there needs to be some examination of the working conditions, maybe there is an office manager or buisness owner who needs to get their act together. By the way I am an employer, we find it to be a good time, the work is done, and there are more smiles mores faces.

Do you think Bear Stearns employees will be having a March Madness pool this year.......?