Work sucks, let's watch basketball

It's "March Madness," when millions of U.S. workers spend so much time following the men's college basketball games of the NCAA Tournament that by one estimate they're costing companies $3.8 billion in lost productivity.
That price comes as no surprise, said one Boston-area salesman who says his clients have been preoccupied with the three-week, 65-team event that ends with the final game on April 3.

"I'd call customers who would say, 'Call me back later on. I'm watching a game on my computer and don't want to be bothered,'" he said, not wanting his name used. "And every office I go to, it's all they're talking about."

To arrive at that lost $3.8 billion, consultants Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. used data showing that some 41 percent of U.S. workers, or about 58 million people, consider themselves college basketball fans.

Millions of fans, and some who normally pay little attention to college basketball, take part in ubiquitous "March Madness" office pools.

Using online tracking data, Challenger estimated working fans average 13.5 minutes a day following tournament action on the Internet, said John Challenger, chief executive of the Chicago-based firm that studies workplace and business trends. That activity costs companies $237 million a day. Article here.