Rob Jones is Managing Director at design-led transformation and technology company Code Computerlove.
Based in Manchester, Code Computerlove works with a number of brands in the UK including Hillarys, the BBC, JCT600, AO.com, Sky Gaming and Butlin’s. It was founded in
1999 and is part of the MediaCom North Group.
Jones has worked at the agency for more than a decade and was previously its Client Services Director until 2021.
Here’s how a recent week in Rob’s life went…
Monday
Every Monday morning begins with a team stand-up to run through priorities and ensure we’re in a strong position for the week ahead.
While I’m not involved with all agency relationships, I’ve personally overseen our Hillarys account for the past 14 years so I also spend time with their in-house team discussing work in progress and what’s on the horizon.
The afternoon is spent checking in with Code’s senior leadership team on how we’re progressing against our quarterly strategic priorities and continually developing our culture to ensure Code is one of the best places to work in the region. We’ve always differentiated ourselves by offering a unique culture for our Computerlovers’ personal development, ways of working and overall wellbeing benefits. With the battle for digital talent intensifying, culture and benefits are a continued focus for us to keep at the top of our game in this space.
A final part of the day is spent with co-Managing Director Louis helping to create some case studies relating to our consultancy service. While designing and building products is still our core offering, Code’s consultancy services are in high demand and Louis and I are working on how we use these stories to support more organisations with agile transformation.
Tuesday
Tuesday starts with a company-wide studio stand-up, an opportunity for all our product teams to come together and check-in on morale and discuss any blockers relating to client work.
Shortly after we kick off a new exciting client relationship with an onboarding Day Zero workshop. We spend the day here at Sevendale House with the exec team and other stakeholders to get a clear view of their goals and what’s holding them back; my favourite part of any change journey is getting under the skin of any business and really understanding how we can solve the most important and value-driven problems first.
We then spend the afternoon customer journey mapping with our experience design team followed by a feedback session. It’s been a great, productive day and we’ve created a clear vision on which to build.
Wednesday
As we’re part of the MediaCom North Group and work closely with both MediaCom and Cheetham Bell, I pop into MediaCom Manchester on the way into the office for a catch-up with COO Paul Cooper. It’s so good to see more people around the city and coming into offices now, and we have a chat about the progress being made on the new WPP Campus where we’ll all be moving to early next year.
When I get back to Code’s studio, Claire, our Delivery Director, is doing a tour and talk for local college students visiting us to learn more about a career in digital. I tag along because it’s so rewarding when you see their reaction to some of the jobs they had no idea they could be doing in just a few years’ time.
Thursday
My day starts with a morning leadership meeting where we all review our teams, their morale, impact and come together to check on commercials and any initiatives that are in-flight. It’s then onto a few 360 feedback appraisals – including my own but it’s all constructive and a vital part of how we develop in our roles at Code.
In the afternoon, I spend some time preparing for our monthly company meeting that I host. It’s an opportunity for socialising after a busy week and updating everyone on all things company, clients and people. My favourite part is our Computerlover 2-minute spotlights though. We hear about our ongoing collaboration with Manchester Deaf Institute – all part of Code’s focus on promoting digital accessibility and inclusivity.
Friday
Fridays at Code tend to be spent on some of our more people-first initiatives. I work with the ops and marketing team on re-mapping our employee engagement journey, from first conversation and job application to ensure we are doing as much as we can to make it a seamless experience.
And then we’re almost there and get to another fun part of the week – Make Change Friday. We dedicate 10% of our working week (Friday afternoons) for learning across the whole company. It’s one of the ways we are committed to personal development, up-skilling and learning new things.
As part of this, we’re also offering free workshops to organisations with tech for good initiatives that are seeking new ways to improve their digital service areas. This week, I worked with Manchester Pride and it’s lovely to end another busy week doing something we are incredibly passionate about and helping local organisations too.
