Survey: Nearly One-Third of Executives Say March Madness Activities Boost Employee Morale
MENLO PARK, Calif., March 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – During the NCAA basketball tournament, companies that allow employees to celebrate March Madness at work may emerge as the real winners, a new OfficeTeam survey suggests. Nearly one-third (32 percent) of senior managers interviewed said activities tied to the college basketball playoffs boost employee morale, and more than one-quarter (27 percent) felt March Madness has a positive impact on worker productivity. These results are up from 20 percent and 16 percent, respectively, in a similar survey conducted in 2013.
The survey was developed by OfficeTeam, a leading staffing service specializing in the placement of highly skilled administrative professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with more than 300 senior managers at companies with 20 or more employees.
Managers were asked, “Do you feel March Madness (NCAA basketball tournament) activities in the workplace, such as watching games or participating in pools that don’t involve money, have a positive or negative impact on employee morale?” Their responses:
| Very positive | 11% |
| Somewhat positive | 21% |
| No impact | 62% |
| Somewhat negative | 5% |
| Very negative | 2% |
| 101%* |
*Responses do not total 100 percent due to rounding.
Managers also were asked, “Do you feel March Madness activities in the workplace have a positive or negative impact on employee productivity?” Their responses:
| Very positive | 4% |
| Somewhat positive | 23% |
| No impact | 62% |
| Somewhat negative | 7% |
| Very negative | 4% |
| 100% |
