Retire the workaround that became a job

Growth · Little Light original

A temporary workaround is created during a difficult week. Someone copies the numbers by hand, checks the same exception each morning, or carries a process in a private spreadsheet because the proper fix cannot happen yet. Months later, the emergency has become part of a person’s role, invisible except when they are away. Name the work for what it is now. Count the hours, the errors it prevents, and the risk of leaving the knowledge with one person. Then decide whether to repair the underlying process, build a simpler tool, or formally resource the work that still matters. Gratitude is important, but gratitude alone should not turn a colleague into permanent infrastructure. Meaningful work includes removing effort that no longer needs to be heroic. The person who kept things running has already proved their value. Honour that contribution by giving their judgment a better problem to solve, and by making the organisation less dependent on quiet rescue.

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