This entry is a wee-bit different from the previous content found on small-horse.com. It’s inspired by a great recent read written by Chip Heath & Dan Heath entitled Switch: How To Change Things When Change Is Hard. We’re going to apply one of it’s concepts to internet distractions in the workplace – namely Facebook and other social media. We’re also including a link that illustrates the dangers these counter-productive practices can introduce to your network.

Let’s get something clear right from the start - there’s no denying the marketing power, if used correctly, of social media for small businesses. If you have engaging content that appeals to your customer base, social media is a fantastic tool for broadcasting those stories, providing a forum for customers to share their experiences – ultimately expanding your network.

We’re not talking about marketing.

We’re talking about waste in all its digital forms: social media, online gaming, fantasy sports, streaming multimedia. The list goes on and on and on!

Have you ever thought about how much these activities are costing your business?

Here’s some quick math. If you have eight employees, averaging $34,000/year in salaries, and each of them spends just one hour per week on Facebook – it’s costing you $523.00 per month in lost productivity. If each of those eight employees spends one hour per day – your loses jump to $2615.00 per month.

If these numbers aren’t sobering enough, check this out: not only are these activities a drain on your resources – they can also expose you to vicious cyber-attacks. Here’s a quick read published at usatoday.com called How cybercriminals invade social networks, companies.

Hopefully this entry starts an inter-office dialogue. Maybe it’ll prompt the need to make some changes… which brings us back to a quick synopsis of Switch. This book takes on the often overwhelming subject of change and breaks it down into three very do-able parts. Here they are:

1) Direct the Rider
2) Motivate the Elephant
3) Shape the Path

Once again – a great read – worth the time.

Once you know changes need to be made – or you want to make them, the Heath brothers say you need to shape the path for success. They give several examples where companies “…simply tweaked the environment to make bad behavior impossible.” What a powerful line. Just take the option away!

More than networking, Small Horse delivers changes that boost productivity. Our technology solutions tweak your office environment to make bad (wasteful, dangerous) behavior impossible!

To continue the dialogue, send an email to Nick at info@small-horse.com; or give us a call at (208) 250-1432.

Tags: Cybercriminals, Facebook, Lost Productivity, Making Changes, Shape the Path, Social Media, Switch Book

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