Most Managers Believe March Madness Activities Boost Morale and Productivity

With March Madness approaching, research from global staffing firm Robert Half, 72% of senior managers said college basketball tournament activities have a positive impact on staff morale.

 

More than half of survey respondents (52%) also see productivity benefits.

 

Three-quarters of companies report they organize sports-related festivities in the office. These include friendly competitions (45%), wearing team apparel (43%), watching games (29%) and decorating workspaces (28%).

 

However, nearly half (49%) of professionals surveyed say they are distracted by sports activities at work. This includes 64% of males and 33% of females. In addition, two-thirds of employees ages 18 to 34 say they are distracted by sports activities at work, compared to 43% of those ages 35 to 54 and 27% of those ages 55 and older.

 

The online surveys include responses from more than 2,800 senior managers at companies with 20 or more employees in 28 major U.S. cities and more than 1,000 workers 18 years of age or older and employed in office environments in the U.S.