Social Not-Working? It doesn’t have to be!

Despite my well-documented ineptitude with all things technology, I’ve never for a moment doubted its impact on the accounting profession. The PC inarguably revolutionized the back-office functions, while years later, iPads and similar tablets allowed CPAs to work remotely and avoid lugging ponderously heavy footlockers of tax information or audit work papers from client to client.

But in many of my CPE sessions, I also explain the downside of a tech-centric culture. First and foremost, technology has slowly transformed personal interaction into obsolescence. With correspondence coming via e-mail or cloud applications, most CPAs rarely see their entire client base more than once a year and that is almost universally around tax time. As a result, the traditional in-person meet and greet has suffered.

Although late to the party as usual, the accounting profession has slowly embraced social media, whether Facebook , LinkedIn, Twitter or dozens of other similar sites. Despite initial misgivings and IT prohibitions on logging into social media sites during work hours, roughly 60 percent of the firms (depending on which survey you read) in the U.S. now have a Facebook presence.

However a recent study of more than 2,000 financial professionals (CFOs, controllers, accountants) by a workplace and management consultancy, found that nearly one-third of them complained that workplace use of social media is by far the biggest cause of time-wasting by their employees.

Social networking – which top-level management has often referred to as “social NOT-working” was cited by one-third of those polled as the most frequent reason behind lost production during working hours.

That was followed by such decidedly non-technology activities as peer socializing, personal calls and back to the tech arena with non-job related emails.

While interesting, I’m sort of on the fence on this issue. For one, a non-productive employee is a non-productive employee – technology doesn’t and won’t change that. If he/she spends hours trolling the Internet in 2014, they would likely have been yakking on the phone or passing notes in 1974.

And for those firms who think that blocking Facebook or YouTube, will eradicate the problem, forget it. They can easily log into both with their smartphones or tablets.

You want more productive employees? Give them a reason NOT to spend time on social media.

How? Good question.

Here’s one suggestion: By giving them challenging work assignments, not routine and uninteresting tasks they can perform at half speed, while simultaneously texting co-workers about “American Idol” or Dancing with the Stars.” Make them part of decision-making committees that underscore their importance and value to your firm.

That may not be the panacea to boost production, but it’s not a bad place to start.

Who knows? They  might even “friend” you on Facebook.