The Economy Project
(2010-03-15)
Listen Now:
null
North Carolina's Davis and Frasor box out Michigan State's Green during their NCAA men's Final Four championship basketball game in Detroit
Employees are signing up for the annual March Madness office pool at businesses across Michigan today.
It's an activity that can boost employee morale, but one study says office pools can sap company productivity.
Leanne Van Allen is a regional vice president with Spherion Staffing, a temp employment company. She says NCAA basketball office pools can sap office productivity, as employees start spending more time watching their brackets than the company's bottom-line.
"Because the games are televised during the day, there's a lot of distraction that can happen at that time," says Van Allen.
Van Allen says businesses shouldn't necessarily try to ban office betting pools, since they could be good as a 'team builder.' She advises Michigan employers to put limits on when and where employees take part in office pools and watching games. © Copyright 2012, Michigan Radio
