Plus: On-the-Job March Madness, Better Decisions on a Full Bladder and a Bridge Delivery.

On-the-Job March Madness Activities
It’s that time of year again for basketball fans, who this month get back into the habit of researching every one of the 68 teams playing in the NCAA men’s basketball championship tournament, filling out tournament brackets and entering betting pools in what has become an annual rite of spring.

Challenger, Gray & Christmas estimates that total online viewership during work is likely to reach at least 8.4 million hours during this year’s tournament. Multiply that figure by the average hourly earnings of $22.87 among private-sector workers and the financial impact exceeds $192 million.

About 32 percent of managers recently interviewed by OfficeTeam believe NCAA basketball tournament activities shouldn’t be allowed in the workplace.

Nonetheless, the majority of bosses are willing to play ball, as 57 percent feel group events tied to the playoffs are OK in moderation. In fact, 11 percent welcome them.

“Over the three weeks of the tournament, the nation’s 108 million workers will have logged more than 11 billion hours of work,” Challenger, Gray & Christmas CEO John A. Challenger says. “The 8.4 million hours lost to March Madness is a relative drop in the bucket, accounting for less than one-tenth of one percent (about 0.07 percent) of the total hours American workers will put in over the three weeks of the tournament.”

That said, and in the spirit of good sportsmanship, workers should keep these tips from OfficeTeam in mind:

• Before checking scores online or taking part in game-related activities at work, review company policies so you know what is and isn’t acceptable;
• If your firm allows it, enjoy quick breaks to discuss tournament highlights with coworkers, but don’t let these talks sideline you from other responsibilities; and
• If you want to take a day off to enjoy a sporting event, ask your supervisor as far in advance as possible so workloads can be managed.

The first round of the tournament begins with special qualifying games on March 15.

Inauthentic Office Smiles Worsen Your Mood
Consider this a public service announcement for your health — an obvious one, but a PSA nonetheless: Fake smiling at the office will actually make you miserable, a study published in the Academy of Management Journal last month suggests.

For the study, Brent Scott, assistant professor of management at Michigan State University, and former MSU doctoral student Christopher Barnes studied a group of city bus drivers, examining the effects of “surface acting” (or fake smiling) and “deep acting” (or cultivating positive emotions).

“After following the drivers closely, the researchers found that on days when the smiles were forced, the subjects’ moods deteriorated and they tended to withdraw from work,” the New York Times explains. “Trying to suppress negative thoughts, it turns out, may have made those thoughts even more persistent.”

The research suggests that employees who fake smile throughout the day worsen their own mood and withdraw from work, while employees who smile as a result of positive thoughts improve their mood and withdraw less — both ways directly affecting productivity.

“Employers may think that simply getting their employees to smile is good for the organization, but that’s not necessarily the case,” Scott said in an announcement of the findings. “Smiling for the sake of smiling can lead to emotional exhaustion and withdrawal, and that’s bad for the organization.”

Make Decisions When You Really Gotta “Go”
Here’s a second, perhaps less obvious, PSA based on new science: Controlling your bladder when you have a pressing need to use the restroom might actually help you make better long-term decisions, according to a study published in the journal Psychological Science.

The University of Twente’s Mirjam Tuk and her colleagues conducted an experiment in which participants either drank five cups of water (about 750 milliliters) or took small sips of water from five separate cups. The participants then answered questions about short-term versus long-term rewards. For example, “they could choose to receive either $16 tomorrow or $30 in 35 days,” an announcement of the research explains.

“The researchers found that the people with full bladders were better at holding out for the larger reward later,” suggesting that people “seem to make better decisions when you have a full bladder,” according to Psychological Science.

So consider drinking a bottle of water or a few cups of coffee before making an important life decision, say, regarding your stock portfolio. And stores that depend on impulse buys may want to keep a restroom available to customers, as they might be more willing to go for the bigger TV on an empty bladder.

Timelapse: A Bridge Delivered
Below is a timelapse video following the delivery of the Willis Avenue Bridge in New York City, created using more than 30,000 still images by industrial photographer Stephen Mallon:

A Bridge Delivered from Stephen Mallon

Cheers.