March Madness Office Pools

According to a CareerBuilder survey, one in five workers say they have participated in a March Madness office pool. One in ten says they plan to enter this year. Executive Career Advisor Michael Erwin says that that number increases to 16% for workers 25 to 34 years old.  “It makes sense, you are fresh out of college, and you still have that school spirit, so you are going to root on your team, so you see more of that age group definitely participating.” Erwin says it is okay to have a little fun on the job. “The goal here is still to participate in the pool and be a part of it, but make sure that your work doesn’t suffer that is when bosses are going to step up and say OK turn off the game, stop looking at your brackets and get back to work.” The survey also showed that some offices do not need much of an excuse for friendly wagering, continues Erwin. “It kind of came to us that everybody wants to bet on everything in the office. Most of them go around when somebody has a baby, when someone is going to get into trouble at work; it is really anything that gets that team together and that camaraderie.” Certain professions were more likely to participate, adds Erwin. “When we looked at professions, the financial services industry 31% said that they were going to participate in some sort of March Madness pool, followed by sales and IT.  Business and professional services and leisure and hospitality about two in ten were going to do it.” The higher you are on the ladder, the more likely you will have something riding on the tournament’s outcome, concludes Erwin.  “What we found was directors, managers and leaders, 24% were partaking in the March Madness pool where only 14% of the entry level, so the higher ups are going to be participating this year and that gives you a little more leeway.” To read the complete survey on March Madness Office Pools, visit www.CareerBuilder.com.