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To Office Managers: Fear the Super Bowl
by
findingDulcinea Staff
As fans prepare for the Super Bowl showdown between the New York Giants and the undefeated New England Patriots, one study suggests that fan interest in the game will hurt U.S. productivity.
30-Second Summary
On Jan. 20, the New York Giants beat the Green Bay Packers 23 to 20 in overtime, winning the NFC Championship.
Now the Giants will face the New England Patriots in Phoenix, Ariz. for the Feb. 3 Super Bowl.
The two-week lag between the NFC Championship and Super Bowl XLII will undoubtedly lead to a lot of fan-chat at work, and according to at least one study, these impromptu discussions will considerably lower productivity.
A 2006 study performed by the outplacement consulting organization Challenger, Gray & Christmas speculated that if employees spend at least 10 minutes talking about the Super Bowl each day of the week leading up to the game, employers could lose up to $780 million.
At a time of economic unease, no one wants to see the United States' enviable productivity figures drop. But Carl Bialik, the “Numbers Guy” for The Wall Street Journal, asserts that the Challenger study is statistically flawed.
He argues that it multiplies “time spent on a nonwork activity—computer games; deleting spam—with hourly wages. But many workers have down time built into their jobs, and reasonable bosses can't expect every moment of the workday to be spent productively.”
Regardless of the impact it has on workplace behavior, as the Super Bowl XLII approaches, excitement builds at the prospect of the underdog Giants facting the undefeated Patriots.
Now the Giants will face the New England Patriots in Phoenix, Ariz. for the Feb. 3 Super Bowl.
The two-week lag between the NFC Championship and Super Bowl XLII will undoubtedly lead to a lot of fan-chat at work, and according to at least one study, these impromptu discussions will considerably lower productivity.
A 2006 study performed by the outplacement consulting organization Challenger, Gray & Christmas speculated that if employees spend at least 10 minutes talking about the Super Bowl each day of the week leading up to the game, employers could lose up to $780 million.
At a time of economic unease, no one wants to see the United States' enviable productivity figures drop. But Carl Bialik, the “Numbers Guy” for The Wall Street Journal, asserts that the Challenger study is statistically flawed.
He argues that it multiplies “time spent on a nonwork activity—computer games; deleting spam—with hourly wages. But many workers have down time built into their jobs, and reasonable bosses can't expect every moment of the workday to be spent productively.”
Regardless of the impact it has on workplace behavior, as the Super Bowl XLII approaches, excitement builds at the prospect of the underdog Giants facting the undefeated Patriots.
Headline Links: The Super Bowl XLII Giants vs. Patriots
After sudden-death overtime, the New York Giants beat the Green Bay Packers 23 to 20 to win the NFC Championship. The winning field goal redeemed New York kicker Lawrence Tynes, who had missed two previous attempts. In fact, Tynes second failed field goal attempt could have ended the game in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter.
Source: Newsday
Peter King of Sports Illustrated provides a detailed analysis of the Phoenix Super Bowl, and the match-up between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants.
Source: Sports Illustrated
Background: The Super Bowl and work productivity
A 2006 study performed by the outplacement consulting organization Challenger, Gray & Christmas speculated that during the week leading up to the Super Bowl, employers lost up to $780 million. John A. Challenger, chief executive officer, explains that "workers could easily spend 10 minutes each day dissecting all the statistics, organizing betting pools and making party plans. That amounts to $780,000,000 by week's end. Employers should also count on losing another $156 million in unproductive wages on Monday."
Source: The Seattle Times
In 2005, Carl Bialik, “the Numbers Guy” for The Wall Street Journal wrote that the Challenger study is statistically incorrect. He writes that it multiplies “time spent on a nonwork activity—computer games; deleting spam—with hourly wages. But many workers have down time built into their jobs, and reasonable bosses can't expect every moment of the workday to be spent productively.” Bialik asserts that as long as people complete their tasks at work, the Super Bowl is not a drain on productivity.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Related Topic: Super Bowl-itis
MSNBC sorts out the truth and falsity in the claims that popular wisdom makes regarding the Super Bowl. For example, it is often said that the biggest national sick day is the Monday after the game. Answer: Fact!
Source: MSNBC
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