Research
0,000+Hours of research behind our methodology
HR Consulting & Organizational Diagnostics
Your workplace is leaking energy and wasting money.
Behind every dip in output is a story. Humanly Works makes invisible workplace friction visible, so you can recover lost capacity, increase retention and optimize productivity.
Workplace Readability Index™Fluctuating Capacity Framework™Financial Recovery Model
Designing work that works for humans and systemsVernon, BC · Working internationally
Frameworks
0Proprietary diagnostic frameworks
Pillars
0Core service pillars
Cost of Turnover
$00K–$00KCost of a single avoidable resignation or friction point
Organizations measure outcomes. We reveal the conditions that produce them.
Humanly Works is a specialized HR consulting firm and organizational diagnostics practice founded by Dr. María Zapata (PhD, MBA). We sit at the intersection of people, workplace systems and business performance.
Unlike traditional HR consultancies that view workforce problems in isolation, we investigate the actual conditions under which people are expected to work. Where sufficient data exists, we translate workplace friction into measurable financial recovery projections, turning cultural and operational challenges into clear business conversations.
What organizations see
- Turnover
- Absenteeism
- Presenteeism
- Burnout
- Performance gaps
- Workload strain
What we investigate
- Workplace systems
- Employee experience
- Role clarity
- Capacity signals
- Leadership assumptions
- Hidden friction
Where workplace systems meet human reality.
01
Strategic HR Foundations & Compliance
We review, build and optimize core workplace infrastructure so work is clearly defined, communicated and experienced.
- HR policy development
- Compliance frameworks and audits
- Job architecture and role clarity
- Structured onboarding and offboarding
02
Performance Management & Workload Design
We shift performance management from measuring physical presence to output-based metrics, with capacity-signaling protocols that reduce workload friction without requiring personal disclosure.
- Output-based performance metrics
- Capacity-signaling workflows
- Variable capacity management
- Workload friction reduction
03
Employee Experience & Retention Strategies
Data-informed strategies that address the root causes of turnover, absenteeism and presenteeism.
- Employee pulse sentiment surveys
- Focus groups
- Psychological safety frameworks
- Burnout and absenteeism strategies
04 Flagship
Specialized Organizational Diagnostics
The Hidden Capacity Audit™ identifies where workplace friction is consuming productive energy and converts it into measurable financial value.
- Workplace Readability Index™ (WRI)
- Fluctuating Capacity Framework™ (FCF)
- Financial Recovery Model
- Leadership debrief and recovery plan
What your workplace is not telling you directly.
We evaluate three distinct perspectives to pinpoint exactly where they diverge.
Perspective 01People
01
Employee Experience
What employees are actually experiencing day to day.
- Pulse sentiment data
- Focus group insights
- Capacity and workload signals
Perspective 02Systems
02
Organizational Systems
What policies, structures and workflows actually communicate.
- Policy and compliance review
- Job architecture
- Workflow and role clarity
Perspective 03Leadership
03
Leadership Perspective
What leadership believes is happening.
- Leadership interviews
- Assumption mapping
- Divergence analysis
Employee ExperienceOrganizational SystemsLeadership Perspective
Hidden CapacityFinancial Recovery
The Workplace Readability Index™
The umbrella diagnostic behind everything we deliver. It makes hidden workplace conditions visible and unlocks two concrete outcomes for your organization.
WRI
The Workplace Readability Index™
An advanced diagnostic audit that benchmarks hidden presenteeism costs and maps where employees mask chronic pain and long-term impairments due to traditional corporate biases.
Fluctuating Capacity Framework™
A structured operational system that replaces risky medical disclosures with traffic-light communication protocols to manage fluctuating employee energy levels.
Financial Recovery Model
Moves management from tracking physical presence to measuring objective outputs, connecting workplace friction to measurable financial implications where sufficient data exists.
From conversation to lasting change.
Discover
A conversation to understand your challenge, your context and what you’ve already tried.
Understand
Evidence and analysis of what your data, your people and your practices are actually telling you.
Design
Recommendations grounded in research and shaped to work in your real organizational context.
Implement
Practical action and support that doesn’t disappear after the final slide.
Founder & Principal ConsultantMeet the Founder
Dr. María Zapata Rodriguez
PhD · MBA · CPHR CandidateDr. María Zapata Rodriguez (CPHR Candidate) is an experienced HR practitioner, researcher, educator, and the founder of Humanly Works. Holding a PhD and an MBA, María combines academic rigor and evidence-informed methodology with practical workforce solutions.
Her work focuses on the intersection of people, workplace systems and business performance. Through frameworks like the Hidden Capacity Audit™, she helps organizations identify and eliminate operational friction, optimize productive capacity, and turn workforce culture and retention challenges into measurable financial value.
Her doctoral research on disability, gender and employment, with fieldwork in Scotland and Peru, studied how skilled professionals navigate work alongside chronic pain, caregiving and organizational expectations. Now based in the Okanagan, BC, she works internationally with a growing focus on neurodiversity and the invisible costs of presenteeism.
“Organizations already measure outcomes. I help them understand the human conditions that produce them.”— María ZapataAlso available for keynotes, panels and applied research.
PhD, Human ResourcesMBAMaster in Pedagogic InnovationBA, Political Science & GovernmentAssociate Fellow, Advance HECPHR BC & Yukon (in progress)James-Watt Scholarship30% Club UK Chapter ScholarshipPhD, Human ResourcesMBAMaster in Pedagogic InnovationBA, Political Science & GovernmentAssociate Fellow, Advance HECPHR BC & Yukon (in progress)James-Watt Scholarship30% Club UK Chapter Scholarship
Research-backed by design.
What our clients say
★★★★★
“Maria helped our company work — and grow — in ways we didn’t think were possible. We are forever thankful for her guidance.”
★★★★★
“Maria is so well organized — she helped us upgrade to the next level.”
★★★★★
“Maria helped our company work — and grow — in ways we didn’t think were possible. We are forever thankful for her guidance.”
★★★★★
“Maria is so well organized — she helped us upgrade to the next level.”
★★★★★
“Maria helped our company work — and grow — in ways we didn’t think were possible. We are forever thankful for her guidance.”
★★★★★
“Maria is so well organized — she helped us upgrade to the next level.”
★★★★★
“Maria helped our company work — and grow — in ways we didn’t think were possible. We are forever thankful for her guidance.”
★★★★★
“Maria is so well organized — she helped us upgrade to the next level.”
Limited · 2026–2027Workplace Readability Index™Standard CAD $1,500CAD $1,000 Full Hidden Capacity Audit™ & Financial Recovery PlanStandard CAD $5,000CAD $3,500
The Founding Organization Programme
A limited programme for early-adopter organizations, with preferential founding rates on our flagship diagnostics.
Strategic investment, not transactional HR.
We do not view HR support as a transactional expense, but as a strategic investment designed to eliminate workplace friction, prevent costly bad hires and recover hidden productive capacity.
Strategic Talent Acquisition & Job Architecture
Full-cycle job design, strategic recruitment, deep profile assessment and a 90-day integration and retention roadmap.
Key Role & Specialist SearchStarting at CAD $3,500 per role
Leadership & Strategic Role SearchStarting at CAD $4,500 per role
Custom Volume / Multi-Role RetainersCustom proposal on request
The ROI context
Book a ConversationTraditional headhunters charge 15%–25% of annual salaries ($12,000–$25,000+) without addressing job design or long-term retention. Our flat-fee approach delivers PhD-level behavioral expertise, job architecture and integration support for a fraction of agency costs.
Specialized Organizational Diagnostics
Comprehensive assessment of employee experience, organizational evidence and leadership perspective to locate lost operational energy and measure financial recovery opportunities.
Workplace Readability Index™ (Standalone)Starting at CAD $1,500 · 2026–2027 Founding Partner CAD $1,000
Full Hidden Capacity Audit™ & Financial Recovery PlanCAD $5,000 · 2026 Founding Partner CAD $3,500
The ROI context
Book a ConversationA single avoidable resignation or friction point costs organizations $15,000–$40,000 in lost time, productivity and re-hiring. The Audit pays for itself by revealing where your workplace is consuming capacity before it costs you more.
Advisory & Custom HR Retainers
Ongoing strategic HR advisory and policy support, scoped to your organization.
Strategic HR Advisory & Policy RetainersStarting at CAD $1,500 / month
Custom Enterprise & Multi-Site ProjectsScoped and quoted per organization
The ROI context
Book a ConversationEvery engagement is built around your organization’s requirements, sites and priorities.
Your questions, answered
We provide evidence-based HR solutions across four areas: strategic HR foundations and compliance, performance and workload design, employee experience and retention, and specialized organizational diagnostics.
Corporate leaders, HR executives and business owners looking for evidence-based HR solutions and organizational diagnostics. We are based in Vernon, BC and work internationally.
Our flagship diagnostic. It identifies where workplace friction is consuming productive energy, combining the Workplace Readability Index™, the Fluctuating Capacity Framework™ and the Financial Recovery Model.
The umbrella diagnostic behind our methodology. It benchmarks hidden presenteeism costs and makes hidden workplace conditions visible to leadership.
We evaluate three perspectives (what employees experience, what systems communicate and what leadership believes) and, where data allows, translate friction into financial recovery projections.
No. The Fluctuating Capacity Framework™ manages variable capacity without requiring personal disclosure.
A limited 2026–2027 programme with preferential rates for early-adopter organizations on our flagship diagnostics.
Book a conversation or request a custom proposal through the contact form.
Get In Touch
Ready to see what your workplace is costing you?
Start with a conversation about what you’re seeing, what you’re not seeing, and where friction may be affecting your organization.
Make workplace friction visible.
maria@humanlyworks.com(250) 938-49291-6957 Manning Place, Vernon, BC V1B 2Y6, CanadaLinkedInInstagramContact
Request a custom proposal
Share a few details and María will follow up, or book a debrief directly.
Book a Conversation