Workplace Intelligence Overview
"Workplace friction costs 3-8% of payroll. Invisibly."
HEAT is part of the Workplace Intelligence solution within StratIQX's service portfolio. This section provides the business case, research validation, and ROI framework for implementing HEAT in your organization.
Ready for Implementation?
→ View Complete Workplace Intelligence Solution Includes 6D Discovery phase ($20K) + HEAT Implementation ($35K) with fixed deliverables.
The Universal Problem
Research-Backed Reality
| Statistic | Source | Implication |
|---|---|---|
| 77% of employees globally are disengaged | Gallup 2024 | This affects almost everyone |
| 83% of organizations have silos | Global Business Review | Knowledge concentration is universal |
| 65%+ of capacity consumed by "Keep the Lights On" work | Industry standard | Innovation plans fail due to invisible overhead |
| $8.9 trillion lost globally to disengagement | Gallup 2024 | 9% of world GDP — staggering scale |
Conclusion: The "90% of businesses have this problem" claim is conservative. This is the norm, not the exception.
The Hidden Cost Formula
Hidden Friction Cost = Team Size × Average Salary × Friction Factor
Where Friction Factor = 3-8% based on:
├── Organizational maturity
├── Existing tooling/visibility
├── Turnover rate
└── Knowledge documentation levelQuick Calculator
| Team Size | Avg Salary | Friction (5%) | Hidden Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $75,000 | 5% | $37,500 |
| 25 | $80,000 | 5% | $100,000 |
| 50 | $85,000 | 5% | $212,500 |
| 100 | $90,000 | 6% | $540,000 |
| 250 | $95,000 | 7% | $1,662,500 |
That's not "soft cost." That's real capacity invisibly consumed by:
- Burnout → Turnover → Replacement cost (50-200% of salary)
- Knowledge silos → Single point of failure → Business risk
- Context switching → 15× productivity tax per interruption
- Shadow work → Innovation capacity stolen by firefighting
→ See detailed cost analysis by team size
The 6D Cascade Effect
Workplace friction doesn't stay contained in HR. It cascades through your business:
Example: What looks like a $100K HR problem (turnover) is often a $600K+ business problem when you account for:
- Quality impact (customer-facing errors increase)
- Revenue impact (churn from service degradation)
- Operational impact (remaining team overloaded)
What HEAT Reveals
| Before HEAT | After HEAT |
|---|---|
| "Team worked 400 hours this week" | "Team carried 1,200 intensity units — 40% over baseline" |
| "Alice is a hard worker" | "Alice 🔥 Streak: 5 days on blocker — intervention needed" |
| "Bob quit unexpectedly" | "Bob had 🔥 streaks for 3 months — we missed the signals" |
| "We're at full capacity" | "65% consumed by Support/Config — only 35% on Feature work" |
ROI Framework
Cost of NOT Using HEAT
| Hidden Problem | Annual Cost (50-person team) | How HEAT Prevents |
|---|---|---|
| One unplanned resignation | $75K - $150K (replacement + ramp) | 🔥 Streak alerts catch burnout early |
| Knowledge silo (bus factor = 1) | Unmeasured until loss | Bus factor mapping triggers cross-training |
| Context switching tax | 20-30% productivity loss | Context Switching Score reveals fragmentation |
| Shadow work consuming capacity | $100K+ in lost innovation | Tag Analysis shows Support/Config ratio |
| Total Preventable Cost | $200K - $400K/year | HEAT implementation: $20-40K |
Payback period: 2-6 months
Next Steps
"Workplace friction is universal. The cost is invisible. HEAT makes it visible early." 🔥