Every year about this time - in the weeks leading up to the start of the NFL season - someone will remind us about all the money businesses lose each year to fantasy football addiction.

Millions of men and women are involved in fantasy football. And that means a lot of us are spending time (a little over an hour a week) managing teams while on the clock. The lost productivity, over a 17-week season, costs U.S. businesses around $10 billion, experts say.

So this seems simple enough. Cut off all access to fantasy football sites and worker productivity will soar. Or maybe not.

John Challenger, of the workplace consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., says just the opposite could occur if employers attempt to restrict workers’ access to fantasy sports sites.

“Obviously, there are daily distractions in the workplace that are universal, whether it’s a trip to the washroom or sharing celebrity gossip around the watercooler. Fantasy football is just one more of these distractions. Most employers understand that not every minute of the day is dedicated to work.”

But here’s my favorite part - the part I hope my own bosses will read:

“Managers should only crack down on those whose work is clearly suffering from the added distraction. An across-the-board ban on all fantasy football or sports websites could backfire in the form of reduced morale and loyalty. The result could be far worse than the loss of productivity caused by 10 to 20 minutes of team management each day.”