Decision routing

Most decisions and approvals route through you — work stalls when you're unavailable.

DependencyNo decision-rights framework

~4% payroll

If you were unreachable for two weeks, work would back up waiting for you.

DependencySingle point of failure at the top

~5% payroll

Your managers bring you problems to solve rather than decisions they've already made.

DependencyEscalation default — authority not delegated

~5% payroll

A significant part of your week goes to managing people issues instead of running the business.

DependencyOwner time tax

~5% payroll

Role design & fit

There are people in roles that don't match their skills, strengths, or capacity.

Role–capacity mismatchProsperity cost

~6% payroll

Employees in similar roles would describe their jobs differently.

Undocumented expectationsProtection risk

~3% payroll

Pay is set case by case — there are no defined levels or salary ranges.

No job architecture or comp bandsProtection risk

~4% payroll

Manager capability

Your managers were promoted for being excellent at the work, not for managing people.

Untrained management layerProsperity cost

~5% payroll

Difficult performance conversations get delayed or avoided.

Avoided performance conversationsProtection risk

~4% payroll

If a key manager resigned tomorrow, no one internal is ready to step up.

No bench — succession gapProsperity cost

~4% payroll

Onboarding & engagement

New hire onboarding is inconsistent — the experience varies from hire to hire.

Slow time to productivityProsperity cost

~4% payroll

Some employees are present but not fully contributing.

Engagement dragProsperity cost

~5% payroll

When people leave, the real reasons aren't captured.

No exit feedback loopProsperity cost

~3% payroll

Policy & documentation

The employee handbook is outdated, incomplete, or doesn't exist.

Policy exposure

Flag

Job descriptions are missing, outdated, or don't reflect the actual work.

ADA, FLSA, comp exposurePeople impact

Flag

Employee issues get handled differently depending on the situation or who's involved.

Inconsistent enforcement

Flag

Classification & wage

Contractors work regularly alongside employees in ways that may blur classification.

Misclassification exposure

Flag

Overtime eligibility hasn't been confirmed against each role's actual duties and pay.

Wage compliance exposure

Flag

You couldn't fully explain why two people in the same role are paid differently.

Pay equity exposurePeople impact

Flag

Records & claims history

There have been complaints or situations that could have escalated into claims.

Unresolved claims history

Flag

Employee records live across email, spreadsheets, or paper with no central system.

Fragmented recordsProsperity cost

~3% payroll

Operational drag

You personally handle HR questions and issues, and it pulls you off your real job.

DependencyHR absorbed by the wrong role

~8% payroll

Work regularly waits on decisions, approvals, or information that should be easy to get.

DependencyCompounding wait time

~5% payroll

The same tasks get done by more than one person, or repeated with no clear owner.

Duplication — direct waste

~4% payroll

Work that could be systematized is still done manually, over and over.

Recurring manual waste

~3% payroll

Hiring & retention

The same position has been filled more than once in the past two years.

Repeat churn — raises replacement costPeople root cause

cost modifier

There are roles that have sat open for weeks with no clear timeline.

Vacancy drag

~4% payroll

Hiring pulls in multiple people and there's no documented process for it.

Hidden hiring admin cost

~3% payroll

Capacity ceiling

Growth is constrained by capacity, not by demand.

DependencyStructural ceiling

~5% payroll

Changes you've made don't stick — things drift back to how they were.

No accountability structurePeople foundation

~3% payroll

Something is holding the company back. This finds out what.