Dive Brief:

• According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, 56.8 million Americans and Canadians participate in fantasy sports, and 37.5 million of those players work full-time. With that, it's only logical that the popularity of fantasy sports will impact productivity, according to the Miami Herald.

• Those who engage in leagues should be managed closely, especially during football season. On the other hand, says the Herald, employers can also embrace fantasy football leagues in the workplace, provided these leagues comply with company policies and do not constitute illegal gambling.

• While the article mentions the idea of conducting internal office pools (no entry fees, etc.) as a way to build culture, managing that could be problematic.

Dive Insight:

As with online shopping, Facebook, Twitter or any other electronic workplace Web-based distractions, employers need to ensure that fantasy sports are factored into any other online activity in terms of company policy. Creating a clear, concise Web use policy within an employee handbook is a start. A more stringent step may include monitoring internet activity, which with today's growing data risk issues, may not be as Draconian as it sounds.

As with many of these types of activities, employers need to take a common sense approach, and a chat with employment council on setting up a proper policy might be in order for smaller employers.