What Happens When You Outgrow Your HR — But Don’t Know It Yet?

How a Fractional CHRO Helped One Company Regain Focus and Forward Momentum

At Kairos, we often work with ambitious companies in high-growth phases—teams scaling quickly, product launches flying out the door, new hires joining every month.

But one thing we’ve learned? Growth doesn’t just stretch systems—it stretches leadership.

One of our recent clients, a 100-person tech company, had hit that exact inflection point. They had a small HR team, mostly focused on operations—payroll, recruiting, compliance—but the deeper questions were starting to pile up:

• “Why are our best people leaving?”
• “Why do our managers feel overwhelmed?”
• “Why does our culture feel different than it did six months ago?”

They didn’t have a full-time Chief People Officer or CHRO. In fact, they weren’t sure they needed one. But everything from team morale to retention to communication had started to fray at the edges.

That’s where Kairos came in—as a Fractional CHRO.

What Does a Fractional CHRO Actually Do?

A Fractional CHRO provides senior-level strategic leadership without the full-time cost or commitment. Think of it as part-time executive horsepower—laser-focused on building a people strategy that grows with the business.

In this case, we stepped in to:

• Conduct a quick but deep People & Culture Audit
• Coach the founder and leadership team on people-related decision-making
• Design a simple, clear HR roadmap tied to business goals
• Introduce leadership tools that helped managers feel more confident
• Co-create a culture playbook that reflected where the company was headed—not just where it had been

Within a few months, the team started to notice the shift.

• Performance reviews were less painful (and more meaningful)
• Team leads stopped second-guessing their every move
• New hires actually stayed
• The founder finally stopped being the default HR person

What Changed?

The company didn’t add a massive HR department or adopt 10 new platforms.

They simply added strategic HR leadership—in a format that matched their stage of growth.

That’s the beauty of the fractional model: You don’t need to wait until something is broken beyond repair. You just need to recognize that what got you here might not get you there.

Is It Time for Fractional Leadership?

If you’re scaling quickly, facing team friction, or sensing that your culture is drifting, don’t wait for a crisis. A Fractional CHRO can help you anticipate, align, and accelerate—without overbuilding.

At Kairos, we’ve helped dozens of companies navigate this exact turning point. We’d love to help you do the same.

Let’s start the conversation.