It’s that time of year. Football fans everywhere are gearing up for the NFL season. Over the 17 weeks of the NFL preseason and regular season, millions of fantasy football participants – an estimated 66 percent of whom are employed full time – will be researching, building and managing their fantasy football teams. Many will do this during work hours from cell phones, tablets or the speedy internet connections found in most modern workplaces. The cost of this workplace distraction could approach $16 billion in lost wages paid to workers managing their teams during business hours, according to an estimate from global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.
“That figure represents just one hour of unproductive work time each week during the 17-week stretch in which fantasy football becomes an obsession for millions of Americans. However, before getting worried about fantasy football leading to the economy’s collapse, it is important to understand that the figure accounts for a tiny fraction of all the wages paid out over that period,” said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of global outplacement and executive coaching consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.
According to the latest data from the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, approximately 56.8 million Americans and Canadians will participate in fantasy sports this year. That is up from about 12.6 million in 2005. The Association reports that 66 percent or about 37.5 million of those participants are employed full-time.
“One cannot dismiss the idea that fantasy football is not wildly popular or deny that it has crept its way into the workplace,” says Challenger. “It may be immeasurable in terms of real dollars and cents, but undoubtedly there are workers, managers and supervisors across the country who can attest to the fact that fantasy football is now a common subject around the watercooler, in offices or during meetings.”
As fantasy sports and, more specifically, fantasy football continue to grow in popularity, so might the financial impact on the nation’s employers. However, one workplace authority says companies should not crack down on workers managing their teams at the office, but instead embrace the fantasy fanaticism.
“Unless you are J.J. Watt, who appears to put in 100 percent during every hour of his workday, it is impossible to reach full productivity. We would burn out within a week. Just look at all of the negative attention given to Amazon.com in recent days for pushing its employees to their limits with a pace and set of expectations that reportedly leave many workers crying at their desk, at some point. Whether you believe the reports or not, most people agree they would not want to work for the type of employer depicted in those reports,” said Challenger.
Kelly Workman, Vice President of OfficeTeam, a staffing service specializing in placing highly skilled administrative, customer service and office professionals into temporary and temp-to-hire jobs, says the line between work and personal time has become more blurred. “Most companies realize that good employees will make sure their work gets done, even if they do take a few minutes here and there to talk sports,” says Workman.
Participating in group activities like an office fantasy football league can be a great team building activity because it can provide a mutual interest and topic of discussion for co-workers and get them to build camaraderie that can be crucial to success in today’s workplace and office environment. Even non-football fans get involved on the action because they are willing to be a part of something in the workplace. Others may frown on it too – and that’s okay too. Fantasy football is not for everyone. No matter what your company or office policy is on fantasy football in the workplace, it’s important for employers to clearly communicate policies regarding worker breaks and Internet use so professionals know what’s acceptable when it comes to sports and other non-work activities, says Workman. In addition, managers can lead by example by showing how to pursue personal interests, such as sports, without getting sidelined from responsibilities, adds Workman.
“It can be fun for employees to root for their fantasy football teams and have informal contests,” says Workman. “But you want to make sure these activities aren’t detracting from day-to-day responsibilities and don’t violate company policies or state or federal laws.”
According to a 2013 Society of Human Resources (SHRM) survey, only 15 percent of organizations prohibited employees from participating in fantasy sports leagues or creating office pools (such as NCAA men’s basketball tournament pools, for example). Meanwhile, the SHRM survey outlined the three top areas that office fantasy leagues benefitted were related to relationship building (70 percent), team building (64 percent), and employee engagement (54 percent). Forty percent of respondents in a 2006 Ipsos survey said fantasy sports participation was a positive influence in the workplace. Another 40 percent said it increases camaraderie among employees. One in five said their involvement in fantasy sports enabled them to make a valuable business contact.
That last statement shouldn’t be overlooked says one expert. There’s another potential benefit of the office fantasy football league: Discussions about it can trickle over to conversations with vendors, clients and prospects. This can also lead to improved customer relations, writes Christian Schappel in an HRmorning.com article titled Why you should be glad your employees love fantasy football.
“It’s not out of the ordinary to see salespeople contact customers with whom they’ve had a long and prosperous business relationship, and invite them to join his or her fantasy league,” says Schappel. “Most die-hard fantasy players are in multiple leagues and are always looking for new entrants — and invites often aren’t limited to close family and friends.”
Meanwhile, the latest figures from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that Americans on private-sector payrolls earned an average of $24.99 per hour in July. So, each hour of wasted work time among the 37.5 million fantasy sports enthusiasts costs employers $937,125,000 (37,500,000 X $24.99).
Multiply that figure out over the four weeks of the preseason and 13 weeks of the regular season, and the total loss comes to $15,931,125,000.
“Of course, many fantasy football fans will spend time, some during work hours, trying to debunk this figure. And, we are not suggesting that this figure is not debunkable. It can definitely be broken down and picked apart, mostly because it actually would be impossible to measure the true impact of fantasy football on productivity or a company’s bottom line,” said Challenger.
When enjoyed in moderation, there are potential benefits to group activities tied to sports, says Workman. They can have a positive effect on employee morale and productivity.
“They may also provide an opportunity for workers to bond as they talk about games and root for their favorite players,” says Workman. “As long as people don’t go overboard, sports-related activities might actually keep workers on track and productive by providing them with much-needed breaks.”
Challenger agrees: “We need distractions during the day, whether it’s checking Facebook, scanning Twitter, buying something at Amazon.com, or managing one’s fantasy football team,” says Challenger, who belongs to multiple fantasy football leagues, including one managed by an employee at his firm. “It may seem counter-intuitive, but those short periods of being unproductive help workers be more productive in the long run. They also help boost morale, lower turnover and keep our creative juices flowing. For these reasons, employers may not only want to avoid clamping down on fantasy football.”
