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According to the outplacement firm, Challenger, Gray and Christmas, during the next few weeks of March Madness, employers could see $1.7 billion in lost productivity. This productivity loss extends to employee participation in office pools, to employees that will spend up to 30 minutes of work time completing sports brackets to employees using work time to watch streaming video of games while using up their employer?s bandwidth. Following the Super Bowl, March Madness interferes with employee productivity more than any other sports event.

Technology has made it much easier for employees to abuse work time by following their favorite sports event. In years past, employees would have to duck out to a local sports bar to watch the game. These employees did not have the ability to download March Madness screen savers from questionable websites,access on-line gambling sites via the Internet, or download streaming video.

Some employers chalk off the loss of employee productivity and misuse of company resources as a cost of doing business. While this approach may be the path of least resistance, it is not without attendant risk. Employers that turn a blind eye to abuse of work time and company resources may find they inadvertently have created the perception that members of one gender are receiving preferential treatment, as well as, undercutting handbook policies that govern email and Internet usage.

March Madness, and similar events, may provide an opportunity to communicate your expectations to your workforce. This time can be used to refresh their memories of company policies governing misuse of time, email, Internet usage, participation in listservs and Blogs, and downloading. The benefit to be derived is twofold. First, it will require you to blow the dust off of those policies and determine whether they require updating. Second, by bringing these policies to the attention of your workforce, they, in turn, will not be able to complain when those policies are enforced.

The Bottom Line: Many workplace problems can be avoided by careful and regular communication of expectations to your workforce. Repetition has it?s benefits. Consider the Head On advertisement. I don?t need to repeat that annoying advertisement to make my point. The same holds true with workplace policies. You should not assume that your employees remember key points of your handbook policies. Periodic reminders to your workforce can make minimize future problems.

Nothing in this Blog should be considered legal advice or to form the basis of an attorney client relationship. Every legal matter can turn on specific facts. Nothing can substitute for the advice of a seasoned legal professional.

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