COVID-19 may have cancelled sports for the season, but Wiley|Wilson employee-owners still found a way to enjoy March Madness and raise funds for a very good cause.

To give everyone an idea of where their coworkers were spending their days, employee-owners submitted pictures of their remote office setups. So many photos were sent in that the ESOP Ownership Committee created a March Madness–style bracket. Employee-owners filled out their brackets based on whose setup they thought deserved to advance to the next round — just like an NCAA tournament bracket — and submitted their completed brackets.

“As an added incentive to participate, the company announced it would make a donation to the National Domestic Violence Hotline for every bracket submitted,” explained Adam MacPherson, Senior Architect in the Richmond Office, who came up with the challenge idea. “Staying home is the right thing to do in the interest of public health, but for people who are being forced to shelter in place with their abusers, it’s a dangerous time to be at home. The Hotline offers support and guidance, including crisis intervention, next steps, and direct connections to sources for immediate safety if needed.”

Once the brackets were submitted, employee-owners then voted via online survey on the day’s “games,” beginning with the round of 32. “We went through the Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final 4, and finally the championship game to declare the first-ever Madness of March: Work from Home Champion,” Adam added.

Congratulations to Steve Schad, who was crowned the company’s first (and hopefully only!) Madness of March: Work from Home champion, and to Ted Elshof and Matthew McGarry, who picked the most winners in their brackets.

“Engagement is one of Wiley|Wilson’s Core Values and this challenge was a great way to help employee-owners stay connected with each other even though we’re not physically in the same place right now,” Adam added. “As fun as this was, though, I think we can all agree that it was no replacement for the real thing, so Steve will be the Madness of March: Work from Home champion in perpetuity.”