Strategic Workforce Planning, Compensation and HR Strategy

Strategic workforce planning isn't only for big companies with an HR department down the hall. For a small business, it's practical, people-first HR support for the big questions. When do I hire the next person? Am I paying people fairly? Who steps up if my best manager leaves?

A lot of what gets sold as HR strategy was built for companies ten times your size, in cookie-cutter packages. At HRish, I look at what your business actually needs, not what's traditionally done, and build a plan you'll use.

The goal is HR support that grows with the business and makes the people side of running a company feel less overwhelming. For the bigger decisions, you get an HR department you can actually rely on, without having to hire one internally. I work with Colorado businesses in Colorado Springs, Denver, Pueblo, Fort Collins & Loveland.

Who's behind HRish

I'm Allisha McCartney, Founder & HR Consultant at HRish Solutions, based in Colorado Springs. I bring over 16 years in HR and a bachelor's degree in business management, with a concentration in HR management. You can read more about me on the About page.

Strategic workforce planning

Workforce planning starts with where you're headed. If you're opening a second location or bidding on bigger work, the people part has to be ready first.

I start with a workforce planning analysis, which compares the team you have today with where the business is headed. From there, headcount planning gets concrete:

• Timing: which roles to add first, and when the numbers support it
• Structure: who reports to whom as the team grows (organizational planning, in plain terms)
• Risk: the single points of failure, like the one person who knows how invoicing works

The plan stays short and practical, so it fits your team now and for the next one to three years, and you can revisit it as things change. If your headcount is climbing, my Headcount & Growth Milestones Toolkit is on the Resources page.

For one client, I helped plan their next hires and map out what their future structure should look like, including the triggers for when the next move would need to be made. I started with their current state, reviewed their 1-year, 3-year and 10-year goals, and created a responsibility matrix that mapped out all the responsibilities needed, both current and future. From there came an org chart and job descriptions for it, and then I worked backwards to sort out what's current, what the actionable steps are, and what they need to monitor and track to know when to start planning for the next role.

Compensation consulting

A new hire comes in above a longtime team member, word gets around, and suddenly a salary spreadsheet nobody trusts is running the show.

I help you build a compensation plan you can explain when a team member asks why a coworker makes more. Depending on what you need, the work covers:

• Your compensation philosophy: how you decide pay, and where you want to sit against the market
• Market comparison: your pay next to market data, role by role
• Pay structure and salary bands: a pay range for each role, with room to grow
• A pay review: what you pay today and how it's structured

I've done compensation work like this numerous times, and it varies by client. One client, for example, was struggling to get qualified applicants. I completed a wage analysis and found their pay wasn't competitive for the market, and they offered no advancement in pay after hire. I helped them create competitive pay ranges for all of their positions, along with an annual review process that was clear and measurable and allowed for pay increases that were fair and consistent for everyone. It led to easier hiring and better retention.

Which market data I use depends on your business and industry, because different sources and tools pull data better from different places. Consistency matters more than clever formulas, and the goal is market-based pay you can explain in plain words.

I'll also advise on leadership pay, so your managers' and leaders' pay still makes sense next to everyone else's. I don't advise on ownership pay, so what the owners take home stays your call.

Pay equity analysis

In a pay equity analysis, I check whether people doing the same or substantially similar work are paid differently, and whether you can point to a real reason behind each difference. This isn't only a big-company concern.

Colorado's Equal Pay for Equal Work Act generally applies to any employer with at least one employee in Colorado. It generally bars paying someone less than a coworker of a different sex for substantially similar work, unless the whole gap is explained by reasons the law accepts, such as seniority, a merit system, or education, training or experience related to the work. Federal equal pay law also covers employers with at least one employee, and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment explains the state law on its Equal Pay for Equal Work Act page.

I offer pay equity reviews as a stand-alone service, and I'm comfortable doing the formal pay equity audit too, so an employment attorney is not needed for that work.

For a team of 25 to 100, a pay equity review typically takes 1 to 2 weeks, possibly longer depending on how available the information is. I usually provide a report that shows the results and flags any gaps or compliance issues. If needed or wanted, I'll help you plan and implement the fixes for those gaps or issues.

I'm not a lawyer, and this isn't legal advice. When a question needs an employment attorney, I'll work with one on your behalf, so you're never handling it alone. The legal facts on this page were last checked in October 2026.

Incentive and commission plans

Incentive compensation works when people understand it and can see how their work moves the number. It backfires when figuring out a bonus takes a spreadsheet, a calculator and a small leap of faith.

I design bonus programs and other variable pay for any role, and commission plans for teams that sell:

• Commission structure: tiers, splits, caps and what counts as a closed sale
• Base and commission: how the two balance out
• Bonuses: what triggers a payout, and how often

A good commission plan rewards what you actually want more of, whether that's new customers, better margins or repeat business.

Total rewards and benefits strategy

A total rewards strategy looks at everything people get for their work: pay, benefits, time off, flexibility, growth and recognition. Small businesses often offer more than they realize and explain it less than they should.

A total rewards statement is a simple way to close that gap. It's one page that shows each team member their total compensation, not just the number on their paycheck. Recognition belongs in the picture too, and it doesn't have to be expensive to matter when it's specific and timely.

On benefits, I'm not a benefits broker, and I'm not selling you a plan. I help you find a broker, figure out what your team actually values, choose plans that fit and get through enrollment. If you'd like ongoing help with the day-to-day side of benefits, that sits in my HR Operations Support work.

HR strategy and roadmaps

An HR strategic plan doesn't need to be a glossy document. For most small businesses, it's a clear list of what to fix first, what can wait and what needs to be in place before the next stage of growth.

HR strategy development starts with where you are today and where you want to be in a year or two. I turn that conversation into an HR roadmap:

• Now: the gaps that create risk or daily headaches
• Next: the systems you'll need at your next headcount milestone
• Later: the nice-to-haves, parked on purpose

Each stage depends on your business, its size and its industry, so you're not building the HR of a much bigger company before you need it. If you'd like an HR strategy consultant at the table on an ongoing basis, including leadership advisory for you and your leadership team, that's what Fractional HR leadership is for. I've also written about treating HR as more than a cost center.

Organizational design

As a business grows, the org chart tends to grow by accident. Someone picks up a task because they were there, and a few years later they're running half the operation with no title.

Organizational design consulting means stepping back and asking what structure the work needs now. I start with an organizational assessment, a look at how your team is structured today, and a review of how your leadership roles are set up.

Sometimes what looks like a performance problem is really a structure problem. The role changed, and nobody changed the support around it. Getting people in the right seat is often the simplest fix available. What you get at the end varies, but it's usually an org chart with clear reporting lines, sometimes a future-state org chart, and sometimes new or updated job descriptions to go with it.

A client of mine had a job title called "admin" that numerous people held, and it had become a catch-all position without clear roles and responsibilities. I helped break those responsibilities down into clearly defined roles with clear ownership and accountability. It led to a better understanding of who was doing what, and more productivity from the people in the new roles.

Culture consulting

Every business has a culture, though it may not be the one you meant to build. I help you see yours clearly, then shape it on purpose.

It starts with a company culture assessment. I use surveys and one-on-one interviews with your team, and I look at how your values show up (or don't) in hiring, pay, recognition and decisions. The assessment only works if the answers are honest.

From there, I help you turn what you learned into a culture strategy you can carry out:

• Values: a few, in plain words, tied to real behavior
• People and culture habits: how you recognize good work, give feedback and handle conflict
• Manager follow-through: because culture is mostly what managers tolerate

Change management consulting

New software, a new location, a reorganization, a new owner: change is hard on a team even when it's good news. Good change management helps people understand what's changing, why, and what it means for them.

I help you plan the people side before the announcement goes out:

• Who needs to know what, and in what order
• What managers will say when the questions start
• What's changing in roles, pay or reporting, and what isn't
• How you'll check in once the dust settles

Change handled well builds trust. Change dropped on people in a Friday afternoon email does the opposite.

Talent review and succession planning

Who's ready for more? Who's quietly holding the place together? If a key person left tomorrow, who would step in? A talent review lets you answer those questions ahead of time instead of in a panic.

How I run a talent assessment depends on the business, its size and its industry, so a team of 8 and a team of 130 won't get the same process. After that, I help with development plans for your people and succession planning for the roles you can't leave empty. What you walk away with depends on the plan and scope: sometimes a succession plan, sometimes training plans, development plans or both, and sometimes detailed information on when certain steps need to be taken.

You don't need a corporate succession program to do this. I help you get a first version in place and keep it from going stale, and the development side ties into my Training & Development work.