Comments on: $1.7B Lost in the Madness

By: Head Pig

Head Pig — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 23:49:20 +0000

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

By: HermBOb

HermBOb — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:17:12 +0000

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.

By: Working Fan

Working Fan — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:44:09 +0000

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.

By: William

William — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:04:58 +0000

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.

By: Chase

Chase — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:49:41 +0000

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.

By: bryan

bryan — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:47:20 +0000

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

By: Joel Trojnar

Joel Trojnar — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:43:40 +0000

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”.

By: Kobba

Kobba — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:23:46 +0000

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

By: Thomas Rybarski

Thomas Rybarski — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 08:29:04 +0000

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

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 07:28:54 +0000

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?