Two managers each have eight direct reports. One leads an experienced team doing similar work in one location; the other supports new starters across several shifts. The matching headcount does not mean the management workload is equal.
CIPD’s analysis of devolving HR responsibilities calls for a reasonable span of control alongside enough capacity and support for people management. Span of control describes the number of direct reports. It does not supply a universal ideal number independent of the work.
Count the responsibilities behind the reporting lines
Map recurring duties such as one-to-one conversations, onboarding, scheduling, development, recruitment, and coordination. Then add the manager’s own delivery work. A calendar filled with project tasks can leave people responsibilities squeezed into gaps even when the organisation chart looks uncomplicated.
For an illustrative planning exercise, compare a normal fortnight with one containing two new starters and a recruitment process. Identify which responsibilities increase and what support is available. Do not assume those tasks disappear because they are absent from the team’s output target.
Ask where delays are appearing: postponed feedback, unanswered decisions, unclear priorities, or meetings repeatedly cancelled. These observations are more useful than declaring that every manager above a particular headcount must be overloaded.
Possible responses include changing responsibilities, improving administrative support, adjusting the reporting structure, or allocating more management time. The right choice depends on the actual constraints. Adding another layer without clarifying responsibilities can create a different coordination problem.
When proposing a change, show both the reporting count and the work it generates. That gives leaders a practical basis for discussing capacity while avoiding the fiction that a single ratio can describe every team, role, and stage of development.