Not enough hours in the day?

Perhaps you need to think about your operations support.

I joined WRKWLL in June to provide freelance Operations Manager support. This was the result of a process the Partners had been through, scrutinising what they needed in order to be able to take their next steps and deliver their 2025-30 strategy.

In my experience it can be very easy to think of operations work as something that everyone can do - and to an extent that it is true. But I think not enough people - particularly in small organisations - ask themselves if they should be doing it. Not having Operations capacity can feel like an easy way to save some money. I would argue many organisations are losing that “saving” through inefficiencies, poor value for money return and lost opportunities. I’ve seen that this can hold true across all types and sizes of organisations. I also freelance for a self employed individual doing similar work.

The argument for considering operations support in your organisation isn’t just about getting time back. People dedicated to operations work will bring energy into organisational culture, focus (and action) on systems efficiency, horizon scanning and infrastructure development. They should also be doing that within your specific context (living your values, formalising processes where that works best for your organisation, and leaving things flexible where that doesn’t).

For WRKWLL

I’m working one day per week and generally I’m spreading those hours through the week in order to have a presence each day. I’ve got a long list of things to do from operational bits to the more strategic operations. That energises me and working collaboratively with the Partners and Associates means a dynamic form of prioritisation. I’ve got loads in my head about where processes can become more efficient and hopefully some changes that can enable team members to focus on what makes their heart sing, rather than the operations stuff. There’s some thinking in here around values vs risk (particularly in relation to open working) and the model of the organisation which is of no employees - everyone is an Associate in a no commitment agreement. This is flexible and agile and largely beneficial to both parties. It’s an interesting dynamic for operations though - how to implement change with people that aren’t employees, that all engage with different motivations and to varying levels.

For clients

WRKWLL having a focus and commitment to efficient and effective working benefits our clients too, and so in a slightly abstract way contributes to increasing our impact on social change (we hope). Clients get a delivery team focused on delivery, and you’ll have contact with me around confirming contracts and perhaps invoicing/finance.

Learning about introducing an operations manager

This bit should probably be written by the Partners and Associates of WRKWLL but from my perspective I think there’s two general lessons around introducing an operations manager/support into an organisation:

• Unless the role is there from the start (unlikely) you’ll already have established ways of working. You’ll know what you’re doing with various bits of work and how you track things and keep on top of what needs doing. You may feel overwhelmed but you’ll probably feel in control. Introducing operations can feel a little like letting go and releasing some control. Good operations will mean things happen in the background (not hidden but just effectively), it will probably also mean recommendations and changes to how the organisation works - like all changes that can feel bumpy for a bit.
• If you get the first bit right and manage to delegate and let go of tasks you’ve previously held tightly then you’ll likely find that area of work snowballing and the workload for your operations support will increase. Ensure there is support in place to collaboratively manage/prioritise that ToDo list. You need to be clear about the priorities and the operations support needs to be able to manage their time well (and not overwork) which may mean on occasion you get push back. There’s also something in here about if you’re needing strategic operations support as well as day to day. Any strategic work requires head space and time for deeper thinking. That space needs to be factored into the workload by both parties.

It perhaps seems a little self-serving for an operations manager to advocate for more organisations to consider their needs around operations support, but get the right person for your organisation and you - and your delivery - will feel the benefit.