The Pressure Gauge
See the pressure your organisation is already paying for long before it shows up as failure
Most organisations do not fail loudly.
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They fail quietly.
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Performance still looks acceptable.
Capable people keep compensating.
Leaders stay busy.
Problems stay contained.
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Until they do not.
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The Pressure Gauge is a system level diagnostic that shows leaders where pressure is already building inside their organisation, how it is moving through the system, who is absorbing it, and what it is already costing in decision quality, capacity, retention, and risk.
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This work does not focus on morale.
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It focuses on visibility.
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Why this work exists
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When organisations are under sustained pressure, leaders do not lose intelligence or care.
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They lose visibility.
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Pressure changes what systems allow you to see.
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Silence starts to look like stability.
Coping starts to look like capacity.
High performance starts to mask risk.
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By the time problems become visible, the cost has already been paid through sickness absence, quiet disengagement, slower decisions, repeated errors, and the loss of your most capable people.
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The Pressure Gauge exists to surface what pressure has pushed underground, while there is still time to act.
What the Pressure Gauge reveals
Pressure does not sit evenly across an organisation.
It moves, concentrates, and settles in predictable places.
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The Pressure Gauge makes visible:
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Where pressure is really coming from
Unclear expectations, decision bottlenecks, role creep, leadership visibility gaps, constant change, and poorly designed processes.
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How pressure moves through the system
Pressure flows towards the most capable, conscientious, and responsible people, not the loudest ones.
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Who is absorbing what the system is not holding
The informal safety nets, stabilisers, and problem solvers quietly carrying load that should sit with structure, not individuals.
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Where pressure is already leaking out as cost
Slowed decisions, rework, repeated errors, sickness absence, turnover, disengagement, and leadership firefighting.
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Where risk is concentrating
The points most likely to trigger failure, attrition, reputational damage, or poor judgement under pressure.
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These patterns are not opinion or perception
These patterns are predictable, measurable, and consistently repeat across pressured systems.
If you are noticing any of the following:
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Organisations usually come to this work when they start noticing patterns they cannot quite explain.
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For example:
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• Sickness absence labelled as stress, but no clear cause
• Strong people quietly withdrawing rather than pushing back
• The same issues resurfacing despite repeated fixes
• Leaders spending more time firefighting than leading
• Decision making slowing under pressure
• A sense that people are coping rather than functioning well
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When these patterns appear, pressure has already been present for some time.
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The Pressure Gauge makes that pressure visible while there is still time to act.
What this is not
​The Pressure Gauge is not a wellbeing initiative.
It is not resilience training.
It is not culture theatre.
It does not ask people to cope better with an overloaded system.
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If your organisation is relying on coping, you already have a system problem.
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The Pressure Gauge is a diagnostic designed to show leaders what their organisation is currently asking of people, often without realising it.
How the diagnostic works
The Pressure Gauge combines two elements:
The Pressure Trail
A confidential, organisation wide diagnostic that captures how pressure, workload, clarity, safety, and responsibility are actually experienced day to day.
This includes:
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an anonymous, system focused survey
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optional confidential conversations to deepen understanding
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pattern analysis across roles, teams, and leadership layers
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The Load Index
A structured way of understanding how much load people are carrying across four domains:
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cognitive load
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emotional load
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relational load
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responsibility load
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Together, these frameworks show where capacity is being exceeded long before burnout, sickness, or resignations appear.
What leaders receive
Leaders receive a clear, evidence based report that sets out:
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where pressure is sitting and why
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how it is moving through the organisation
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who is absorbing it
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what behaviours the system is unintentionally rewarding
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where small, targeted adjustments would release pressure fastest​
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This is practical intelligence, not abstract insight.
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The aim is not blame.
It is better decisions.
The diagnostic is consistent. The scope scales with system size.
Pricing
Pricing reflects system size and interview scope.
The diagnostic process itself remains consistent.
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Up to 50 employees
£3,500
Includes 6–8 confidential staff interviews -
51–120 employees
£4,750
Includes 8–12 confidential staff interviews -
121–250 employees
£6,250
Includes 12–16 confidential staff interviews -
250+ employees
Priced on application
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Larger systems require tailored scoping to ensure the Pressure Trail and Load Index accurately reflect how pressure is moving through the organisation.
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Final pricing is confirmed following an initial scoping conversation to ensure the diagnostic is appropriately sized for the system.
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A note on cost
For most organisations, the cost of this diagnostic is lower than the ongoing cost of a single extended absence, sustained presenteeism, or the quiet loss of capacity in a key role.
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Important note
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The Pressure Gauge is diagnostic by design.
It provides visibility and clarity, not action planning or implementation support.
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Further work may be discussed once the system is clearly understood
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Download a one-page briefing on the Pressure Gauge diagnostic for internal sharing.​
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When organisations use the Pressure Gauge
This work is often commissioned when leaders are seeing:
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rising sickness absence or stress related leave
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increased staff turnover or quiet disengagement
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slower decisions and repeated mistakes
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leaders spending more time firefighting than leading
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a persistent sense that people are coping, not thriving
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The Pressure Gauge replaces assumption with clarity.
What happens next
For some organisations, the diagnostic alone is enough.
Others use it as the foundation for focused system adjustments, leadership work, or longer term support.
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There is no obligation to proceed beyond this stage.
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Clarity comes first.
The first step
If this page resonates, the next step is a short exploratory conversation.
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Not a programme.
Not a commitment.
Not a sales call.
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Just a focused conversation to understand what is actually happening inside your system.
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Because once pressure becomes visible, leaders can finally make informed decisions again.