March Madness Madness: Productivity Loss Or Gain?

Studies

from the all-depends-on-how-you-set-stuff-up dept

It’s always fun reading studies about “productivity” lost at work due to the use of the internet. Usually, they’re done by firms who are trying to sell monitoring software, and completely ignore the bigger picture — such as that by doing personal surfing at work people tend to take less time off. So, now, with a consulting firm predicting tons of lost productivity due to March Madness being available in streaming video, some are finally questioning whether the productivity claims really make sense. As the article notes, if it wasn’t basketball, it would probably be something else — supported by yesterday’s study saying US workers are a bunch of slackers. Even more to the point, though, is this quote from a TV exec: “This way you don’t have to stay home to watch the games. My message would be get your work done.” Which, once again, makes the most important point. If employees are getting their work done, why should any of this matter? With companies expecting more work during personal time, it’s only reasonable to allow more personal time at work.