Fantasy Sports on Job No Cause for Ejection, Study Says

Hey guys this is an article taking out of Sunday's paper from The Ledger.

The Ledger



DENNIS BOLT/NEW YORK TIMES REGIONAL NEWSPAPER GROU

Published Sunday, September 17, 2006
SCORING SOME PLAYTIME IN THE WORKPLACE

Fantasy Sports on Job No Cause for Ejection, Study Says

By NATHAN HALVERSON
New York Times Regional Newspapers

SANTA ROSA, Calif. -- Bosses: Think twice before sacking a worker caught playing
fantasy football on the job. Sure, fantasy football might cost employers lots of
money -- $8.5 billion annually by one estimate -- but labor experts say its a
worthwhile office perk and perhaps a valuable networking tool.

Fantasy
football -- a common game in offices across the country -- is the latest example
of how technology has mixed business with pleasure.

A new study
estimates fantasy football will cost companies $500 million a week in lost
productivity as workers log on to league Web sites or check cell phones for the
latest info during the course of the 17-week NFL season. Its estimated that 17
million players take part.

But surprisingly, rather than suggesting
companies stamp out fantasy football in the office, employers should embrace it,
according to a Chicago employment company that produced the study.

"We
take our work home with us. We check our Blackberries on vacation. Work has
invaded personal life. So there is no reason personal life

shouldn't
invade company life, as long as it doesn't get out of hand," said John
Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, which
published the report.

The boundaries between private life and company
life have completely blurred, he said.

Beyond that, Challenger and a
growing number of advocates argue fantasy football has a positive influence in
the work environment.

"What a great way for a manager or president of a
company to create community and increase communications -- have employees
compete in a fun and equal way," Challenger said.

At a time when
employee turnover is at record highs, creating a sense of community and loyalty
is more valuable than the time that is lost -- 50 minutes a week for the typical
worker -- when employees play fantasy football at work, Challenger said.

In fantasy football, participants select NFL players to fill the roster
of their fantasy team. The team earns points every time one of those real NFL
players, say Chad Johnson or Shaun Alexander, scores a touchdown or sacks the
quarterback during a regular season game.

The fantasy team that accrues
the most points wins.

In the past 10 years, fantasy football leagues
have expanded from a poster board in the employee break room to fancy Web sites
that track every fumble, touchdown and missed field goal.

Some companies
appear willing to concede personal time to their on-the-clock employees.

"If they just go on there during a 10-minute break . . . then I don't
think that would be a big problem," said Lonnie Haskins, spokesman for State
Farm Insurance in Rohnert Park, Calif. "But if it gets out of hand -- they're
doing it for three hours a day -- then that would be misuse of company equipment
and misusing company time."