One-in-Five Workers Participate in March Madness Pools at the Office, Finds Annual CareerBuilder Survey

-- Workers Reveal Most Unusual Office Pools They've Bet On --

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Mar 10, 2011, 07:00 ET

CHICAGO, March 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Bracket busters, last second shots and upsets are on their way. With March Madness just days away, office pools will likely be a common sight in the office. One-in-five workers (20 percent) said they have participated in March Madness pools at work, according to CareerBuilder's annual survey conducted among more than 3,900 workers between November 15 and December 2, 2010.

Men vs. Women

Men said they are more likely to participate in March Madness in the office than women. Twenty-eight percent of male workers said they have participated in March Madness pools in the office, compared to 11 percent of females.

By Region

More workers in the Midwest have played March Madness brackets than any other region. More than one-quarter (27 percent) of workers in the Midwest said they have bet on a March Madness pool at work, compared to 20 percent in the Northeast, 17 percent in the South and 16 percent in the West.

March Madness isn't the only reason workers are signing up for office pools. Workers also reported the most unusual office pools they've placed bets on:

How long someone could keep binder clips attached to his body.
What time during the day a co-worker would fall asleep at her desk.
The number of words a manager would say in a meeting since he was very quiet. The winner was a co-worker who guessed 11 words.
The measurement in inches around a pregnant co-worker's belly.
What a co-worker would use as his next excuse to call off work.
How many people would call in sick the day a new video game came out.
How late a co-worker was going to be to a meeting.
Who would be the next pope.
Who would win the National Spelling Bee.
Blood alcohol results on drunk patients.
How long two co-workers would date.
Who could grow the best mustache.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder among 3,910 U.S. employees (employed full-time; not self-employed; non government) ages 18 and over between November 15 and December 2, 2010 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset of U.S. Employees, based on their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 3,910 one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 1.57 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.

About CareerBuilder

CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract their most important asset – their people. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com®, is the largest in the United States with more than 23 million unique visitors, 1 million jobs and 32 million resumes. CareerBuilder works with the world's top employers, providing resources for everything from employment branding and data analysis. More than 9,000 websites, including 140 newspapers and broadband portals such as AOL and MSN, feature CareerBuilder's proprietary job search technology on their career sites. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), Tribune Company and The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com.