Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.
Issue link: https://cpapracticeadvisor.epubxp.com/i/555302
4 August 2015 • www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com By Gail Perry, CPA, Editor-In-Chief FROM THE EDITOR Farm Stand Honor System A nd so it's no surprise to me when I go to buy my corn and tomatoes at the local farm stand, that no one tends the stand. Te farmer picks the produce each morning and places it out on the tables and then goes back to working h i s f ield s . From mor n i ng to du sk people d r ive or wa l k to t he sta nd, choose whatever delicious produce they want to take home with them, and leave money. Tere are signs telling us that the corn is $3 for a half dozen ears and $5 for a dozen, and there's a scale if we need to weigh because tomatoes are pr iced by the pound. T here's a metal box with a slot in the top where we deposit large bills, but if we need change, there's another box of coins and small bills where we can take the appropr iate amount of change. It's called the honor system. As we move into a new era of remote employees, that honor system is going to be put to the test in a much bigger way, and it will probably take a bit of a beating as we fnd the best methods of exercising trust and providing mutual benefts in the 21st century workplace. On the surface it makes so much fscal sense for employers not to have to provide ofce space for every single employee, and for workers to be able to avoid lengthy and expensive com - mutes when their work doesn't require in-person collaboration. In reality, there will be employers who will never be able to let go of the reins and trust employees to do the job when they are not being watched, and there will be employees who shouldn't be t r usted a nd who w i l l ga me t he system in many creative and yet-to-be- deter m ined ways. But those issues already exist in the physical workspace. W ho hasn't known an employer who constantly looks over the shoulders of workers who would do a beter job if they weren't being micro-managed, or a n employee w ho t a kes i mproper shortcuts or crafs the job so that co- workers carry more than their share of the workload? That honor system isn't going to work for ever yone, just as the make- your-own-change cash box might not stay full for long on a street corner in a big city where random people could just walk by and reach in for a handful of money without being watched. Te key is accepting that there is not a one-system-fts-all solution and fnding the right mix of tomatoes and corn and a cash box and loose change in your own business world. — Gail Perry, Editor-in-Chief Follow me on Twiter at @gaperry C all me naive if you must, but I grew up in the Midwest where there's a lot of trust. We smile and say hello w hen we pass strangers on the street, we expect people to have good manners and are rarely disappointed, we ask each other personal questions because we genu- inely care about learning about each other and sharing ex periences, and we stop and help if someone needs a hand. 800-547-7377 • www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com The opinions given by contributing authors are their own and are not the opinions of our staff. All trademarks used are the property of their respective owner. ———————————————————————————————————————————— Practice Advisor, (ISSN #2160-8725 (print), ISSN #2160-8733 (digital); USPS #017-576) is published six times a year (February, April, June/July, August, October and December) by Cygnus Publishing, LLC., incorporating two editions known as CPA Practice Advisor and NSA Practice Advisor, 1233 Janesville Avenue, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin 53538. Periodicals postage paid at Fort Atkinson, WI 53538 and at additional mailing offces. Printed in the U.S.A. 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