It’s that time when the nation is gripped by a college basketball craze, and the competitive fun rages. But is this work-appropriate?

Research on in-office pools and competitions say it is! Spicing up the work place with a little March Madness can be a big plus to the work environment in a lot of ways, so here are a few methods for bringing the madness to work with you.

Choosing teams will build your team!

According to International Business Times, in-office pools like March Madness and Fantasy Football bring the team together and build camaraderie. This will make everyone work together by will, not by force, and everyone will reap the benefits no matter whose team wins.

And speaking of winning, keeping it small keeps it fun!

Putting a little incentive to win will make the competition matter enough for everyone to care about the results. It also makes everyone want to watch the games, which may lead to co-workers watching games together, which can reinforce our first reason. But according to what Columbus attorney Steve Loewengart told Fisher & Phillips, this is only if the amounts placed on the table remain small. Keep the numbers low to keep it fun!

Encouraging March Madness enables networking.

Approaching everyone opens up an opportunity for people in the environment that may not normally communicate past the cordial “good morning” and “how was your weekend” to have something substantial to talk about. Talking about how teams are doing gives leeway for other conversations.

You might see a significant boost in productivity.

Something about sports and fun in the office boosts confidence and a willingness to work. The Department of Economics and Business for Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain found a distinct correlation between golfing abilities in CEOs. The conclusion? Something about having common sports ground improves performance and confidence in work.

Last but not least - it’s just fun!

Fun in the office builds loyalty that results in employees giving more effort, not because they have to but because they want to. Top-rated work environment companies like Google and Adobe have numerous employees that state they are willing to put in all hours and efforts out of sheer loyalty to the company. This is a small, simple way to make your workers more excited to check in and less eager to check out, benefitting the entire company.

It’s not a huge addition to the office, it’s minimal in cost, and it takes the edge off the work. So embrace the madness!