Vacancies Are Silent Value Killers. Here’s the truth most CEOs don’t want to admit: every week an HR executive seat sits empty, risk multiplies. Not just in soft costs like “morale” or “team alignment,” but in real dollars:
- Lost productivity
- Slower decision-making
- Compliance risks piling up
- Top performers quietly updating their résumés
Research suggests an unfilled executive role can bleed up to $1M per year. Think about that the next time you decide to “wait for the perfect hire.”
Interim HR Leaders Deliver Impact Now
Interim executives aren’t seat-fillers. They’re specialists who thrive in urgency. They step in, stabilize the chaos, and tackle the messy, high-stakes challenges that can’t wait:
- Leading complex M&A integrations
- Navigating union or labor negotiations
- Rebuilding engagement in high-turnover environments
- Keeping culture steady during disruption
The Myth of the Perfect Hire
Another misconception? That rushing to lock in a permanent leader “fixes” the problem. Bad hires are worse than vacancies, costing up to 3x their salary in wasted time, severance, and damage to team trust. Interim HR leaders give you something priceless: time. Time to search wisely, time to hire well, time to keep the business moving while avoiding costly mistakes.
ROI Isn’t Just What You Gain, It’s What You Avoid Losing
When we talk ROI, we think about wins: revenue, productivity, growth. But smart CEOs also measure ROI by what they don’t lose:
- Retention of top talent
- Protection against compliance missteps
- Cultural continuity through transitions
- Forward momentum at the leadership table
That’s the quiet power of interim HR executives, they don’t just create value, they prevent loss.
Too many companies wait. They wait for conditions to settle, for the “perfect candidate” to appear, for the stars to align. Meanwhile, the business bleeds. The smartest leaders don’t wait, they act. They bring in interim executives because they know the bigger risk is doing nothing. If this sounds familiar, let’s talk. At The Christopher Group (TCG), we place HR leaders who hit the ground running, they know which levers to pull on day one.
About Molly Mangan, Managing Partner
Molly serves as a Managing Partner at The Christopher Group, bringing over three decades of success connecting organizations with HR consulting and talent solutions that enable clients to drive sustainable performance. She is valued as a strategic partner with a relationship-driven approach, known for fostering meaningful connections and acting as a trusted advisor to deliver solutions that create lasting business impact. To learn more about Molly, visit her bio page.