Succession risk when key people are running on empty
A succession plan is incomplete if the successor is already covering several overloaded roles. Test capacity as well as capability.
The performance question
Naming a deputy can create apparent assurance while adding responsibility without removing existing work. Consider the incumbent’s demands and the deputy’s readiness together. Continuity must remain workable during leave, illness or departure, not depend on another person extending their hours indefinitely.
What the evidence supports
FRC Principle J and Provision 17 address effective, orderly succession for boards and senior management. HSE recommends assessing the whole team’s workload and how work can be redistributed. These sources support a practical readiness test.12
A practical approach
For each essential senior role, identify the decisions a successor would inherit immediately. Check access, competence, authority and available capacity. Run a planned cover period with genuine delegated decisions, and remove or cover part of the deputy’s normal work. Record any tasks still dependent on the incumbent.
How to review progress
Report unresolved dependency and the time needed to close it. Review the plan after major portfolio changes. Do not treat a successful short cover period as proof that the same arrangement could operate indefinitely without further resourcing.
Sources and references
- UK Corporate Governance Code 2024 Opens in a new tab
Financial Reporting Council
Application; Principles A, E, F, I, J and O; Provisions 2, 5, 6, 17, 28 and 29
- Human factors: Workload Opens in a new tab
Health and Safety Executive
Processing limits, task analysis, workload drift and staffing
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