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Misalignment in HR structure rarely shows up all at once.
It builds slowly, creeping in through uneven onboarding, inconsistent policies, and gaps in support. The more your organization grows, the harder it is to smooth over the cracks — and at that point, the real question becomes whether the structure itself still reflects how your people work and your business functions.
Many companies, especially those that have undergone mergers or acquisitions, already operate with some version of a matrixed HR structure. This model reflects the differences across the workforce and will help your organization grow with clarity and cohesion.
Designing support around how people work through HR structure
Your employees don't want generalized support. They want to feel heard and understood.
In a matrixed HR model, personnel are embedded into each business unit while still being supported by centralized teams. This approach gives employees a direct advocate — someone who understands the specific regulations and nuances of their roles — even if it plays out differently across teams. The Amenity Collective’s workforce includes individuals with a wide range of roles, backgrounds, and needs — from skilled tradespeople who must maintain commercial driver’s licenses, to seasonal team members where the priority is rehiring a large number of workers quickly and efficiently. Supporting such a diverse group requires HR partners who can flex their approach with empathy, insight, and operational agility.
At the same time, your HR team members need backup. That's where Centers of Excellence come in. These dedicated experts oversee functions like benefits, compliance, talent acquisition, leadership development, and technology implementations, ensuring your HR team members have internal resources along with team members to collaborate with on more complex projects or requirements.
When employees have an HR team and C-suite who understand their work conditions, conversations about feedback and development become easier to initiate
This model doesn't require every team to be identical. They can operate within a consistent structure while offering tailored support. What’s important, though, is executive leadership’s alignment on investing in cross-functional HR roles — including leadership development, total rewards, and talent acquisition. When employees have an HR team and C-suite who understand their work conditions, conversations about feedback and development become easier to initiate.
Building continuity into the employee experience
Employees interact with HR in brief moments. They may speak with one person while interviewing, another when they have questions regarding benefits, and someone else about career development. But if those moments feel disconnected, they may lose faith in the system. That's the risk when your HR team operates in silos. Handing employees off from one person to another without continuity can undermine trust, especially in environments with high churn, seasonal roles, or nontraditional corporate ladders.
A matrixed HR structure provides clarity. Each specialized function — whether it's payroll, technology, or benefits — supports the others. For example, the Talent Acquisition Director works with the Head of Leadership Development to identify opportunities to embed our culture within the interview process to ensure we are hiring individuals aligned with our core values. The HRIS Manager collaborates with operational HR Directors to ensure talent management tools capture the right data for career pathing and succession planning conversations.
By delivering consistency across every HR interaction, your People department builds the foundation to shape long-term outcomes and turn cohesion and culture into reality.
A structure that makes strategy possible
While it takes months or years to implement, the matrixed model gives HR the visibility and consistency needed to support culture, even as the business adds brands or enters new markets.
We've seen this firsthand at The Amenity Collective. After redefining our cultural principles earlier this year, we’ve relied on "culture champions" — volunteers from each brand who help bring those ideas to life. Also, more than 70 of our leaders participated in a third-party Culture Impact Survey.
With a 64% response rate, our scores exceeded benchmarks across every category, including leadership perception, alignment to purpose, and team trust. We also launched a peer-nominated spotlight program, and since February 2025, we've received submissions every week, a pace that reflects how deeply employees are engaging with the culture we're building.
A well-designed HR model connects people across the organization. Assess what your employees need to stay engaged, then build a model that allows those connections to hold
While it comes with some challenges, this structure also gives the space to prioritize long-term development. With operational HR directors no longer burdened by things like compliance issues or weekly payroll deadlines, organizations can focus on planning versus reacting, and formalizing the approach to leadership growth.
With this model in place, we're preparing to launch our first leadership development program for high-potential employees identified by their managers. It will strengthen our bench and signal that advancement is real. That matters, especially because there's a 34% higher retention rate for workers who have growth opportunities compared to those who don't.
Structure alone doesn't create performance, but it does create the conditions that allow employees to feel seen and want to contribute.
The right HR structure sustains engagement
A well-designed HR model connects people across the organization. Assess what your employees need to stay engaged, then build a model that allows those connections to hold. You don't have to control every variable. You just have to be flexible as your company changes in size and scope.
When HR is structured to understand how people work — and systems are designed to reinforce that understanding — leaders can model a culture rooted in accountability and meaningful contribution. And when your structure evolves with your organization, HR becomes a driving force in sustaining high-level engagement, trust, and performance.
