Making the pace of work sustainable is no easy task for operations and support teams, who often sit close to urgent customer-facing work.
Just ask Stephani Foss, chief operations officer at Alliant Credit Union. On her operations and support teams, strategy, technology and the member experience all come together at a rapid clip that teammates are empowered to handle by questioning friction, solving problems and making things better every day.
“We believe that sustainable work is designed, not endured,” Foss said. “Instead of asking people to work harder around inefficient processes, we look at the work itself. What can we eliminate? What can we simplify?”
Kimmie Odasz, head of strategy and operations at energy brokerage Energy CX, has a similar approach. She finds that “zooming out” to provide employees with the “why” behind their work helps teams stay aligned and prioritize long-term solutions over quick fixes.
“Our job is to make success inevitable for our teams, not to hope the important things get remembered when we’re executing,” she said.
Built In spoke with Odasz and Foss about how they ensure that sustainable practices are built into project workflows so that operations and support employees are successful — without burning out.
Alliant Credit Union provides banking, loans and investment services to members nationwide.
What’s it like to work on the operations or support team at your company?
Our operations and support teams are where strategy, technology and the member experience come together. The work moves quickly, but people are empowered to question friction, solve problems and make things better, not simply follow a process because it has always existed. Our goal is to create "WOW" experiences for our members and we believe that starts with our employees. When we give people clarity, better tools and the freedom to solve problems, they can focus their energy where it matters most — helping members and creating experiences that feel simple, personal and human.
How does your team create processes that make work more sustainable?
We believe that sustainable work is designed, not endured. Instead of asking people to work harder around inefficient processes, we look at the work itself. What can we eliminate? What can we simplify? What should technology handle? And where does human expertise create the most value? As we redesign workflows and introduce more automation and AI, our goal isn’t simply efficiency; it is capacity. We want technology to remove repetitive work and friction, so our people have more time for problem-solving, judgment and human connection. Importantly, we design with our teams, not for them. The people closest to the work often know exactly where the friction is and where the biggest opportunities exist.
What should candidates know about the problem-solving, pace or support systems on your team?
Candidates should expect a meaningful pace of change and the opportunity to help shape it. We’re transforming how we work, so we value teammates who don’t just want to solve the problem in front of them; they ask why the problem exists and whether there’s a better way. That pace also requires strong support. Our leaders are expected to create clarity, remove barriers and help teams prioritize, not simply add more work. We invest in learning, collaboration and new capabilities as roles evolve. The people who thrive are curious, adaptable and willing to take ownership. You don’t need to have all the answers, but you should be excited to help build what comes next.
Energy CX is an energy brokerage firm that helps commercial clients manage energy costs.
What’s it like to work on the operations or support team at your company?
Ownership and collaboration define the work on our operations and support teams. People at every level have built processes on their own that the rest of the team ended up adopting, because initiative and an ownership mindset are encouraged and celebrated. The work touches multiple, and sometimes every, business units. It takes curiosity, a real interest in how the pieces fit together, and creativity.
How does your team create processes that make work more sustainable?
We make work more sustainable by zooming out regularly at every level of the business and by the mindset we bring to change. A big part of my team’s work has been redefining how teams across the org manage projects, so alignment and prioritization are embedded into everything we build. That means stepping back for a full process map and gap analysis across business units instead of chasing whatever feels urgent that week. Some people on our teams do process improvement as their full-time job, so execution keeps getting better. Our job is to make success inevitable for our teams, not to hope the important things get remembered when we’re executing. Getting the work done right means building solutions into how we work and choosing the long-term fix over the short-term patch.
What should candidates know about the problem-solving, pace or support systems on your team?
Problem-solving is core to every role here, so we’re intentional about it. We use mental models like working backward and the Pareto principle when we design solutions. What sets Energy CX apart is pace: we’re on the front edge of our industry and staying curious and adaptable is crucial to having an impact here. The work at Energy CX is exciting and challenging because a lot of the answers are "it depends," and what the business needs keeps shifting as we grow. People at every level shape how we work here and you’ll run into problems and opportunities that no one has tackled before you. One of the special things about working here is there is no ceiling on how much you can learn or change.
