As America revs up for the super-spectacle … and bets on the outcome … we wonder what gambling at work costs employers. The answer may surprise you.
Sunday marks the biggest game in pro football, Super Bowl XLI, and the action will be hot and heavy … betting action, that is. Gamblers, from $2 small timers in office pools to Vegas high rollers, will be wagering hundreds of millions on the Bears, the Colts and the point spread between them. Why should you be concerned? Because some of them are likely to be in your workplace.
At this point, you might be asking “What harm can a little action on the job do?” The answer: Perhaps more than you think.
One recent form of gambling, Fantasy Football, played on the Internet by an estimated 20 million to 40 million Americans, is reported to absorb an average of 1 hour of working time per player each week from September through January. The total loss of productivity on this one activity is reported at more than a billion dollars a week. Additional work time is spent on tracking wagers or betting on other major sports.
The Problem of the Problem Gambler
Most workplace bettors are casual gamblers, but among them are true problem cases for whom gambling is every bit as addicting as drugs or alcohol. When you’ve such individuals on premises, you may be in for real trouble.
“Besides lower productivity, employers are likely to see problem employees with a higher rate of absenteeism, tardiness, poor customer service, stress-related health claims, and theft and embezzlement,” says attorney Rich Meneghello of the Oregon law firm Fisher & Phillips, LLP. “It’s estimated that over 40 percent of embezzlement and employee theft stems from gambling problems.”
How do you spot a problem gambler? Here’s a list of symptoms from BLR’s What to Do About Personnel Problems in Your State series, the famous “HR Red Book”:
–Bragging. The addictive gambler spends much time talking about winning and the excitement of gambling.
–Distraction from work: Look for a pattern of excessive telephone use, frequent absences, perhaps for part of the day, and an attempt to hide Internet activities.
–Borrowing money, often from co-workers.
–Theft. Problem gamblers often resort to financial irregularities or outright stealing to get out from under gambling debts.
Employee Assistance Plans can often help such individuals by offering access to mental health professionals with experience in the field. Other resources include Gamblers Anonymous (www.gamblersanonymous.org) or the National Council on Problem Gambling (www.ncpgambling.org).
What can you do about workplace gambling?
First, you have the unequivocal right to ban gambling outright, on pain of termination for the first offense. It’s a policy that may be hard to enforce, however, especially in weeks like this one when major sporting events take place.
Many firms have adopted a more flexible view, banning any organized or professional gambling, or gambling done using company resources, but allowing small employee-to-employee wagers, including pools of up to, say, $10, as well as casual card games during lunch or break time.
Whatever stance you take, write it down as policy and keep enforcement consistent. That, experts say, is your best bet for handling the issue in a way that comes up a winner.