Let the Madness Begin

Spring is right around the corner and with it comes another office ritual, the NCAA basketball tournament pool.  In the coming weeks there will be much written and discussed about the loss of productivity in the work place, with some experts estimating the cost to employers in the billions of dollars.

However, if your office is one of the many that condones this activity then use it as a way to boost
employee morale.  The best way to do this is to get everybody involved.  The truth is, not everybody in the office is an avid basketball fan and as eager as alpha-male Bob to fill out the typical bracket which calls for picking teams all the way to the championship game.  A couple ways to make everybody feel they have a chance against "Joe Gambler" is to mix it up a bit.  Here are a couple unique ways to do just that:

• Pair up a fan with a non-fan and have them pick together as a team

• Give additional points for correct "upset" picks which can make for a more random and fun selection process.

• Randomly draw an equal number of teams for each participant to follow.

• Make it so everybody must pick at least one team of every seed to win in the first round.

The debate on whether office pools are a good or bad thing for company culture will battle on.  However, a good rule to remember if your company does partake in the madness is to try and include everyone.  And give it your own unique twist.  Who knows, maybe some bonding and camaraderie amongst employees can give the company morale a little end of the quarter boost.

-Matt Sizer, Analytics and Circulation Specialist for Brookhollow