Most Employers Say March Madness Has No Impact on Productivity

March Madness activities at work are less of a slam dunk for increasing morale and productivity, new research from staffing firm OfficeTeam suggests.

Five percent of senior managers surveyed feel March Madness activities in the workplace, such as watching games or participating in pools that don’t involve money, have a very positive impact on employee morale, compared to 9% last year. More than one-quarter (27%) say they have a somewhat positive impact, but this is down from 41% last year.

Fifty-nine percent of senior managers feel March Madness activities have no impact on morale, compared to 43% last year. On the other side, 9% indicate the activities have a somewhat or very negative impact on morale, up from 6% last year.

As far as productivity, only 22% respondents say March Madness activities have a positive impact on productivity, compared to 36% last year. The percentage feeling they have a negative impact on productivity is similar in both years (14% in 2016 vs. 15% in 2015). Nearly two-thirds (63%) of senior managers feel the activities have no impact on productivity.

In a separate survey, OfficeTeam asked employees whether they are ever distracted at work by major sporting events. Thirty-eight percent say ‘yes,’ while 62% say ‘no.’

The surveys include responses from more than 300 senior managers at U.S. companies with 20 or more employees and more than 500 U.S. workers 18 years or older and employed in office environments.