When the clock strikes twelve on March 15, a huge chunk of your Finance staff is likely to have trouble focusing on their work. The question is: What should you do about it?

This date, of course, marks the unofficial (preliminary games start earlier) start of the 2012 NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Each year, there are an array of stats on just how disruptive March Madness can be to the workplace.

Here are some of this year’s, courtesy of CareerBuilder and Harris Interactive:

• 20% of employees said they’ve participated in March Madness pools at work
• 17% said they spend (on average) more than an hour checking scores while on the clock, and
• Almost 10% actually watch games while at the office.

While most employers respond either by ignoring the issue or doing all in their power to keep people from even thinking about the Madness, employment expert Mark Toth recommends a different tact. What he suggests: embracing the tournament, setting up TVs in key “gathering areas” and using the Madness as a bonding experience for employees.

Readers, how does your company handle March Madness? Let us know in the Comment section.

Tags: Career Builder, March Madness, Mark Toth, NCAA Men's basketball tournament