Trying to get back into the groove of writing some blogs..but I've been distracted a bit..MARCH MADNESS. I love college basketball..and what the tournament stands for.
The NCAA Tournament got under way this past Thursday..and it's reportedly luring diligent workers away from their desks to manage office pools and watch their favorite teams..to the great detriment of the US economy. The reported speculation about how much the productivity of the US economy suffers during March Madness amounts to nothing more than fuzzy math and hype.
If you believe what you read or hear from the media..fan devotion to March Madness could cost employers $4.2 billion or more in lost productivity as workers slip away to check NCAA Tournament scores..participate in office pools..read stories about the contests..or avail themselves to CBS' free streaming videocasts of the games on their office computers.
According to reports..businesses would feel the first hit of March Madness on March 15..after the selection committee announced the qualifying teams and workers organized office pools.
The lost production was arrived at $42.8 billion estimate based on an average wage of $18 an hour and over 60 million college basketball fans spending 13.5 minutes online each of the 16 business days from March 15 through April 5..the day of the championship game (something along those lines of numbers). Some actually report that figure might be conservative! The cost may end up being much higher..since it will now be possible to watch entire games on the Internet.
My take..lost productivity estimates are almost always bogus..especially when they come from attention-seeking professionals who are in the business of increasing productivity. For one thing..the media misjudges the size of the dedicated college hoops audience. In 2005..for instance, the NCAA championship game drew 23.1 million households..according to Nielsen. The year before..only 16.6 million households tuned in to the championship game..which indicates that any so-called fans have only a casual interest in the tournament. Many are happy to tune out the tournament's biggest game if it's a blowout..or if the matchup doesn't interest them. Also, many non-fans and casual fans who participate in office pools experience reduced interest in the tournament as it proceeds and the teams they bet on get knocked out.
In arriving at that lost-productivity estimate, the media doesn't acknowledge that "wasted time" is built into every workday. Workers routinely shop during office hours..take extended coffee breaks..talk to friends on the phone..enjoy long lunches..or gossip around the water cooler. Trust me..i know these people..as I am one of them. It's likely that NCAA tourney fans merely reallocate to the games the time they ordinarily waste elsewhere. Trust me..i know these people..as I am one of them. Likewise..many office workers who don't complete their tasks by the end of the day stay late or take work home. Trust me..i know these people..as I am one of them. If fans who screw off at work ultimately do their work at home..the alleged "loss" to productivity would be a wash.
Last..the fear that millions of workers will waste time watching the games live for hours at the office is groundless. More than two-thirds of the games are played on weeknights or weekends..when very few employees are stuck behind their work terminals. My unsolicited advice to the media is to beware of grand estimates..and to anxious supervisors..I counsel you to worry less about how your employees waste time and more about how much they screw off. Trust me..i know these people..as I am one of them.
Peace out my HALEYUNNS!
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