Kansas guard Josh Jackson (11) lunges toward the bucket for a shot during the second half on Friday, March 17, 2017 at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Tipoffs during workday hours. Money riding on teams you’d otherwise never watch, much less root for. Bragging — lamenting? — about your bracket, or multiple brackets, with coworkers.

Not to mention living in the town where a local university has made the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship for a national record-breaking 28 years in a row.

NCAA March Madness creates a perfect storm for what’s known as “cyberloafing,” or using company internet access during work hours for nonwork-related pursuits.

In response, University of Kansas assistant professor of business Niki den Nieuwenboer suggests companies take an approach reminiscent of the old adage “if you can’t beat them, join them” — to a degree.

Niki den Nieuwenboer

Den Nieuwenboer describes her research specialty this way: “I like to study unethical behavior at work and to understand the psychology and the social influences that have quote-unquote ‘normal’ people doing unethical things at work.”

Without making up lost time, cyberloafing, TV-watching and chatting extensively about March Madness at the office fall into that category, she said.

“What most people don’t understand or, conveniently, perhaps ignore is that if you’re being paid but you spend your time doing nonwork-related things, you could be described as stealing money,” den Nieuwenboer said. “It’s stealing employer time, and employer time is money.”

That’s not to say there’s no place for conversation with coworkers, taking bathroom breaks or maybe even checking scores or catching a couple minutes of the Jayhawks’ game.

It’s normal human behavior and psychologically healthy to connect with co-workers, den Nieuwenboer said. She said very strict monitoring is not the kind of environment most people enjoy working in, and such harsh oversight can backfire for organizations.

So, she said, the question becomes, “How much is too much” for employers to allow?

“At some point if you’re researching all your brackets online, if you’re watching full games online, that might become a little too much,” she said.

Den Nieuwenboer suggests companies “indulge” a little bit, but in a way that’s not destructive for productivity.

An idea that works for some organizations might be giving people time off for a big game, she said. Others might have a TV in a public area set to tournament play.

For example, KU’s Capitol Federal Hall — home of the KU School of Business and den Nieuwenboer’s office — has a giant screen in the atrium.

With no outlet to connect with NCAA March Madness, workers might be more prone to hide in their cubicles and binge-watch basketball where no one can see, den Nieuwenboer said. Having basketball on a big screen in the common area can be a happy medium.

“People typically would feel embarrassed sitting there for two hours,” den Nieuwenboer said. Instead, “they walk by, scratch their itch and catch a little bit of the game, but they won’t be there for two hours watching a complete game.”