McLean & Company Releases 2025 HR Benchmarking Insights
McLean & Company, a global leader in HR research and advisory services, has officially launched its 2025 HR Organizational Alignment (HROA) and HR Management & Governance (HRMG) Benchmarking Report. Drawing data from over 3,000 organizational leaders and nearly 1,000 HR professionals, this comprehensive report offers valuable benchmarks and expert analysis across nine critical HR domains.
The findings indicate a consistent pattern: while HR departments are performing well operationally, their ability to serve as strategic partners remains underdeveloped. This gap signals an urgent need for HR to elevate its influence and align more closely with broader organizational objectives.
Key Findings Highlight Strategic Gaps in HR
According to the report, a significant disparity exists between operational effectiveness and strategic contribution. In 49 out of 50 organizations surveyed, leaders rated HR’s operational support higher than its strategic impact. This discrepancy emphasizes the need for HR to extend its reach beyond day-to-day processes and become an integral driver of company strategy.
“Strategic alignment starts with understanding,” said Amanda Chaitnarine, Practice Lead of HR Research & Advisory Services at McLean & Company. “This report helps organizations connect what leaders value with how HR performs, offering a roadmap for data-driven improvements.”
Detailed Benchmarking Across Core HR Functions
The report delivers percentile rankings and cross-survey comparisons that shed light on how HR leaders, teams, and other executives perceive HR’s role. Here are the key highlights:
- Strategic Partnership: Only 30% of leaders are highly satisfied with HR’s consultative role, and 24% feel HR programs effectively support organizational goals.
- Talent Management: Despite being ranked as the most important function, it ranked 8th in satisfaction, with only 20% of leaders highly satisfied. Succession planning, internal mobility, and performance management are cited as major pain points.
- Organizational Effectiveness: Ranked third in importance but seventh in satisfaction, pointing to weak HR involvement in strategic planning and change management processes.
- Talent Acquisition: This area remains a top concern, ranking second in importance but sixth in satisfaction. Leaders noted slow hiring processes, inadequate candidate pools, and vague employer branding as key issues.
- HR Technology & Analytics: Despite being ranked lowest in importance and satisfaction, there is a growing recognition that technology and data analytics are vital for improving HR’s strategic credibility.
A notable insight from the report is the perception gap between HR leaders and their teams. Only 13% of HR leaders rated their function as highly effective compared to 28% of HR team members. This suggests a disconnect in expectations and a need for clearer standards of excellence.
Turning Benchmark Data Into Strategic Action
Beyond merely presenting performance indicators, McLean & Company’s 2025 Benchmarking Report is designed to be a practical decision-making tool. It assists HR leaders in contextualizing their results, pinpointing critical gaps, and crafting targeted strategies aligned with business goals.
The report encourages organizations to:
- Review results in context: Benchmarks should be analyzed alongside internal ratings to capture the unique dynamics of each organization.
- Assess gaps thoughtfully: Large discrepancies between organizational performance and benchmark standards may indicate areas for improvement, but should be evaluated in light of current priorities.
- Set strategic priorities: HR efforts should be aligned with organizational goals, focusing resources on the most impactful areas rather than attempting to address every gap simultaneously.
As organizations face continuous change and disruption, HR’s ability to bridge operational execution with strategic foresight will be increasingly vital. By leveraging benchmarks and participating in McLean & Company’s strategy workshops and executive services, HR professionals can move beyond diagnostics to actionable impact.
About McLean & Company
McLean & Company is a division of Info-Tech Research Group and is renowned for its evidence-based research and actionable tools tailored for HR professionals. The firm serves organizations worldwide by offering diagnostics, advisory services, workshops, and action plans that support HR leaders, teams, and executives in creating high-performing workplaces.
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