The process of determining the yearly rate at which employees leave an organization is a key human resources metric. It involves dividing the number of employees who have left the company during a specific period (typically a month or a quarter) by the average number of employees during that same period, and then annualizing this result. For example, if a company with an average of 100 employees loses 5 employees in a month, the monthly rate is 5%. To annualize this, the monthly rate is multiplied by 12, resulting in an annualized rate of 60%.
Understanding the yearly rate of employee departures is crucial for effective workforce management. It provides insights into employee satisfaction, company culture, and the effectiveness of recruitment and retention strategies. Historically, tracking this metric has allowed organizations to identify potential issues within the workplace and proactively implement solutions to improve employee morale and reduce costs associated with constant hiring and training.