Amid Rising Workplace Demands, McLean & Company Offers Capacity Planning Guidance to HR Leaders

A new guide from global HR research and advisory firm McLean & Company provides actionable insights to help HR leaders support capacity planning, optimize people resources, and reduce burnout. In the resource, three key sections prepare HR leaders to anticipate capacity demands and choose appropriate capacity planning strategies that will support the organization's long-term goals.

TORONTO, Jan. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - As stress and burnout become increasingly common in the workplace, global HR research and advisory firm McLean & Company explains that effective capacity planning is crucial to ensuring teams have the right number of members to meet demands, avoid burnout, and optimize organizational efficiency. To support HR leaders in the critical capacity planning process, the firm has released its industry resource, HR Guide to Support Capacity Planning. The new guide has been designed to equip HR leaders with best practices, tools, and strategies to facilitate capacity planning, helping organizations to address capacity gaps and ensure operational success.

The resource emphasizes that collaboration between organizational leaders, HR, and Finance is critical for effective capacity planning. While HR supports the entire capacity planning process, ultimately the responsibility rests with leaders and Finance to make informed decisions. McLean & Company explains that HR's role is to equip leaders with the right questions, tools, and data to evaluate current capacity, estimate future needs, and implement strategies to address identified gaps. The methods employed will depend on the unique demands and structure of each organization.

"While capacity planning is applicable for many types of organizations, functions, and teams, those with jobs that have tangible and easily quantifiable tasks will see the greatest value," says James Kim, manager, HR Research & Advisory Services at McLean & Company. "These kinds of roles are better able to accurately understand and measure capacity. However, it's essential to factor in variables like individual work styles, productivity fluctuations, and time off to make accurate estimates."

The new guide from McLean & Company underscores that, when done effectively, capacity planning offers significant benefits for both the organization and its employees. These benefits include enhanced efficiency, optimized resources, reduced burnout, and improved employee engagement. Each benefit is covered in depth in the full resource.

McLean & Company's HR Guide to Support Capacity Planning includes three primary sections to prepare HR leaders to assist leaders across the organization to assess and address their teams' capacity needs, outlined below:

1. Evaluate capacity: Collect information on current and future capacity needs. In section one, HR leaders are guided on supporting team leaders with examining current team capacities, providing supporting HR data to inform upcoming capacity estimates, collaborating with team leaders to estimate upcoming capacity requirements, then using the information gathered to calculate capacity needs. Tools and methodologies such as McLean & Company's Capacity Calculator can help leaders assess current and future capacity needs, using metrics like vacancy rates, overtime, and sales growth.  
   
   
2. Exploring strategies: Examine best practices to choose an appropriate strategy for the organization. A detailed examination of lead, lag, and match strategies allows leaders to choose the best approach for their team's capacity needs. The second section of McLean & Company's guide explains each of the aforementioned strategies for HR leaders, including examples, benefits, and cautions, to ensure an informed decision.
   
   
3. Monitor and iterate: Review tools to monitor capacity and look for signs to readjust capacity plans. In the third and final section, HR leaders are guided through planning to monitor capacity, adjust approaches as needed, and determine next steps beyond capacity planning. Leaders are encouraged to track capacity over time using dashboards, project tracking tools, and regular check-ins to adjust strategies as needed.

"A thoughtful approach to selecting strategies ensures teams are equipped to meet demand efficiently without overextending resources," explains Karen Mann, senior vice president, Human Resources Research, Learning & Advisory Services at McLean & Company. "Careful examination of the demands organizations face throughout the year, alongside the benefits and cautions, is critical to ensure the right strategy to capacity plan is selected."

McLean & Company advises HR leaders that capacity planning decisions should be both strategic and actionable, highlighting that embedding capacity planning into the organization's regular processes can lead to enhanced resilience and ultimately create a more engaged and productive workforce.  

Access the Full Guide

HR professionals can access the HR Guide to Support Capacity Planning and explore related resources, including templates and tools, by visiting McLean & Company's website or contacting Communications Manager Katie Tame at [email protected].

About McLean & Company

McLean & Company pairs evidence-based research and immediately applicable tools with deep HR expertise to position organizations to meet today's needs and prepare for the future. The global HR research and advisory firm's member organizations enjoy comprehensive resources, full-service diagnostics, workshops, action plans, and advisory services for all levels of HR professionals, from executive leadership to HR leaders to HR team members, that help shape workplaces where everyone thrives.

McLean & Company is a division of Info-Tech Research Group.

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and hundreds of industry analysts through the firm's Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact [email protected].

SOURCE McLean & Company