Employees Marching Towards Workplace Madness
Dallas, TX, March 01, 2012 --(PR.com)-- As the whirlwind pace of the upcoming NCAA basketball tournament captures the attention of Texas workers, employers should be aware of potential pitfalls that may loom during their employees' month-long college basketball fixation.
Employers on the Losing End During March Madness
With so many workers tuned into the tournament, estimates range anywhere from $1.4 billion to $3.8 billion on lost employee productivity each March as employees spend hours betting in office pools, watching games online, checking scores, and trash-talking with fellow sports fans.
“Management should remind employees of their work responsibilities prior to the tournament, and that their viewing of games or participation in office pools on the clock should not interfere with those responsibilities,” says Michael Abcarian, managing partner of the Dallas office of labor and employment law firm Fisher & Phillips. “Several employers also have policies against watching streaming video online that ties up company bandwidth, those issues also should be addressed in advance of March Madness to avoid problems.”
Workplaces May Be Gambling When it Comes to Office Pools
March Madness is the nation’s second most popular gambling event making office pools a popular way for co-workers to bond, build camaraderie, and maintain morale. So are employers unwittingly subjecting themselves to potential legal liabilities if they allow employee betting pools to take place in the office?
“It depends,” says Abcarian. “Betting pools can involve risk of violating various laws. Some employers are willing to take the risk, however. But if an employer does, it should ensure that managers and supervisors are not coordinating office betting pools, soliciting employee participation in them, or otherwise creating the appearance of employer sponsorship.”
About Fisher & Phillips LLP (www.laborlawyers.com)
Fisher & Phillips LLP represents employers nationally in labor, employment, civil rights, employee benefits and immigration matters. The firm has 270 attorneys in 27 offices. Founded in 1943, it is one of the largest U.S. law firms to concentrate its practice exclusively upon representation of employers in labor and employment matters. In addition to the Dallas office, the firm has offices in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbia, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Irvine, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, New England, New Jersey, New Orleans, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Tampa, and Washington, D.C.
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Employers on the Losing End During March Madness
With so many workers tuned into the tournament, estimates range anywhere from $1.4 billion to $3.8 billion on lost employee productivity each March as employees spend hours betting in office pools, watching games online, checking scores, and trash-talking with fellow sports fans.
“Management should remind employees of their work responsibilities prior to the tournament, and that their viewing of games or participation in office pools on the clock should not interfere with those responsibilities,” says Michael Abcarian, managing partner of the Dallas office of labor and employment law firm Fisher & Phillips. “Several employers also have policies against watching streaming video online that ties up company bandwidth, those issues also should be addressed in advance of March Madness to avoid problems.”
Workplaces May Be Gambling When it Comes to Office Pools
March Madness is the nation’s second most popular gambling event making office pools a popular way for co-workers to bond, build camaraderie, and maintain morale. So are employers unwittingly subjecting themselves to potential legal liabilities if they allow employee betting pools to take place in the office?
“It depends,” says Abcarian. “Betting pools can involve risk of violating various laws. Some employers are willing to take the risk, however. But if an employer does, it should ensure that managers and supervisors are not coordinating office betting pools, soliciting employee participation in them, or otherwise creating the appearance of employer sponsorship.”
About Fisher & Phillips LLP (www.laborlawyers.com)
Fisher & Phillips LLP represents employers nationally in labor, employment, civil rights, employee benefits and immigration matters. The firm has 270 attorneys in 27 offices. Founded in 1943, it is one of the largest U.S. law firms to concentrate its practice exclusively upon representation of employers in labor and employment matters. In addition to the Dallas office, the firm has offices in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbia, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Irvine, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, New England, New Jersey, New Orleans, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Tampa, and Washington, D.C.
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Fisher & Phillips LLP Dallas
Denise Hodges
214-599-8703
Denise Hodges
214-599-8703
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