Für Führungskräfte und wichtige Entscheidungsträger in einem Unternehmen gehören die Fluktuations- und Personalabwanderungsraten zu den wichtigsten Kennzahlen, die sie messen können.
Sie zeigen, wie sich ein Unternehmen um sein wichtigstes Organ kümmert: seine Mitarbeiter. Wir wissen, dass die Bereitschaft der Mitarbeiter, bei der Arbeit engagiert zu bleiben, die Wahrscheinlichkeit verringert, dass sie kündigen, aus welchem Grund auch immer.
Aus diesem Grund möchten wir heute etwaige Missverständnisse im Zusammenhang mit den Begriffen „Abwanderung“ und „Fluktuation“ ausräumen, untersuchen, wie diese Begriffe berechnet werden, und Lösungen zur Behebung einer hohen Fluktuations- bzw. Fluktuationsrate vorschlagen.
Lassen Sie uns also damit beginnen.
Definition von Fluktuation und Personalfluktuation
Manchmal werden die Begriffe „Abwanderung“ und „Fluktuation“ synonym verwendet, da sie ähnliche Dinge beschreiben. Es können jedoch Fehler passieren, wenn Sie die kleinen Unterschiede nicht verstehen. Beide Begriffe beziehen sich auf Mitarbeiter, die das Unternehmen verlassen, haben jedoch im Kontext von Personal- und Organisationsmanagement unterschiedliche Bedeutungen.
Attrition
Unter Fluktuation versteht man die schrittweise Reduzierung der Belegschaft auf natürliche Weise, beispielsweise durch:
- Ruhestand: Mitarbeiter, die in den Ruhestand gehen, sobald sie das Rentenalter erreichen.
- Kündigung: Mitarbeiter, die das Unternehmen aus persönlichen Gründen, wegen besserer Chancen oder eines Umzugs freiwillig verlassen.
- Krankheit/Todesfall: Leider kommt es vor, wenn Mitarbeiter versterben oder schwer erkranken.
- Beförderung/Versetzung: Mitarbeiter können in eine andere Funktion oder Abteilung im selben Unternehmen wechseln. Dies führt manchmal dazu, dass Stellen unbesetzt bleiben, wenn sie nicht nachbesetzt werden.
Attrition is seen as a natural part of the employee lifecycle, and it doesn’t really reflect that the company is performing badly.
Um das noch weiter auszuführen: „Bedauerliche Fluktuation“ liegt dann vor, wenn der Mitarbeiter, der das Unternehmen verlässt, jemand ist, den das Unternehmen lieber behalten hätte. Dabei handelt es sich oft um leistungsstarke Mitarbeiter, Schlüsseltalente oder zukünftige Führungskräfte mit entscheidenden Fähigkeiten. Diese Leute sind natürlich schwer zu ersetzen.
Wenn sie nicht kontrolliert wird, kann bedauerliche Fluktuation dem Unternehmen echten Schaden zufügen, wie Amazon im Jahr 2022 feststellen musste. Das Unternehmen wurde wegen seiner geschätzten Fluktuationskosten von 8 Milliarden Dollar pro Jahr unter die Lupe genommen. Seine Geschäftspraktiken, Mitarbeiter schnell durchzuschleusen, zeigten, dass seine Fluktuationskosten weit über den Branchendurchschnitt hinausgingen und ein besorgniserregendes Niveau erreichten.
Natürlich kann der Verlust von Mitarbeitern durch bedauerliche Fluktuation auch massive Auswirkungen auf die Unternehmenskultur und die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit haben. Indem Unternehmen diese Kennzahl im Auge behalten, sind sie besser in der Lage, ihre besten Mitarbeiter zu halten und den Schaden zu vermeiden, der durch bedauerliche Fluktuation entsteht.
Turnover
This term is a bit more dynamic and refers to how quickly and effectively employees leave and are then replaced. This includes:
- Voluntary turnover: Employees who decide to leave for their own reasons and choices. Perhaps they see a better job elsewhere or feel dissatisfied with their current role.
- Involuntary turnover: This comes when the company decides to let employees go. This could be the result of layoffs, firing, performance issues, or company restructuring.
It’s crucial to consider that the company turnover rate often raises the eyebrows of company executives, as it might illustrate some deeper issues like poor job satisfaction or a lack of career growth.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Data, turnover rates increased rapidly in 2020, then continued to rise for a few years, before dipping in 2023.
Even though retention rates became more stable in 2023, a Gallup Poll showed that in the same year, 50% of employees were not engaged with their work, or ‘quiet quitting.’
Turnover rates are not a perfect measurement of company performance, as the context of job roles and the company’s industry completely change annual numbers. The rate can also vary from company to company, as small and midsized businesses (SMBs) often experience slightly higher turnover rates than large companies.
In general, companies should aim for the ideal number of a 10% turnover rate or lower.
Key takeaway differences
Turnover rate: shows which employees left and were replaced, covering all kinds of departures and focuses on positions being refilled.
Attrition rate: tracks employees who leave without being replaced, including natural reductions like retirements and resignations. Also focuses on permanent reductions in the workforce.
Calculating metrics for attrition and turnover
Here we’ve provided the basic layout for calculating metrics for turnover and attrition, followed by some tips to follow if your company attrition rate is high.
Calculating employee turnover rate:
To figure out if you have a problem with your company turnover rate you can use a calculation. First, you have to use a measurement of a set period of time. One year usually works best. You then need three key pieces of data for the calculation:
1. The number of employees who left during that period (both voluntary and involuntary).
2. The number of employees at the beginning of the period.
3. The number of employees at the end of the period.
To get to the average number of employees, add the starting period number and the ending period number, then divide by 2. Then use this formula to calculate your turnover rate:
Turnover rate = (Employees who left ÷ Average number of employees) x 100
So let's say we want to calculate the turnover rate for a company over the course of one year:
Number of employees who left during the year: 20
Number of employees at the beginning of the year: 150
Number of employees at the end of the year: 130
Calculate the average number of employees:
Average Number of Employees = (150 + 130) x 2 = 140
Calculate the turnover rate:
Turnover Rate = (Number of Departures ÷ Average Number of Employees) x 100
Substituting the numbers:
Turnover rate = (20 ÷ 140) x 100 = 14.29%
So, the company’s turnover rate for the year is roughly 14%.
Calculating employee attrition rate:
To find the attrition rate, the causes of attrition like resignations, retirements, and illnesses need to be accounted for. Again, use a set period of time. For convenience, we’ll say over a 1 year period. Let’s set out our 3 key pieces of information for the calculation.
1. The number of employees who left during that period (all resignations, retirements, and other natural causes).
2. The number of employees at the beginning of the period.
3. The number of employees at the end of the period.
To find the average number of employees, add the number you started with to the number you ended with, then divide that total by 2. Then use this formula to figure out your attrition rate:
Attrition Rate = (Employees who left ÷ Average number of employees) x 100
Here’s an example to illustrate, calculating the attrition rate for a company over the course of one year:
Number of employees who left during the year: 30
Number of employees at the beginning of the year: 180
Number of employees at the end of the year: 160
Calculating the average number of employees:
Average Number of Employees = (180 + 160) ÷ 2 = 170
Calculate the attrition rate:
Attrition Rate = (Number of Departures ÷ Average Number of Employees) x 100
Substituting the numbers:
Attrition Rate = (30 ÷ 170) x 100 = 17.65%
So the company's attrition rate for the year is around 18%.
How to reduce a high attrition rate?
Simply put, for turnover and attrition rates, the lower the better. If your calculations show a high company attrition rate, here’s a collection of retention strategies to get it down for the future:
Conduct exit interviews
When the door is closing on an employee, there’s a goldmine of valuable information that can be learned from them. Use By setting up a healthy chat with them, you get to know better what’s working and what’s not.
You might also consider choosing an interviewer who has a good relationship with the person who is leaving, to get the most honest and genuine feedback about their exit decision. Conducting positive exit interviews with genuine interest is a sign of a mature decision-maker.
Keep pay and perks competitive
Reduce a high attrition rate by making sure the company pay and perks are competitive within your industry. Employees regularly have ideas of what competitors can offer in pay and perks, so realistically you have to match and meet employee expectations to keep attrition down.
You could create regular engagement surveys to gather feedback on the compensation and benefits you currently offer. Bring in changes based on this feedback to show your pay and perks are competitive. For remote teams, you might have to consider further factors, like their geographic locations and cost of living.
Promote work-life balance
Promoting work-life balance is crucial for a company with high attrition rates. A balanced work-life environment creates a happier, more productive workforce who are less likely to leave. Spend some one-on-one time with your staff and show genuine interest in whether they’d like more flexible working hours.
Showing empathy for employees who need support with their family responsibilities is a great way to build team culture. Staff turn up to work feeling like they’re part of a team who cares about them, rather than feeling alone in difficult times. Make sure you show you’re into promoting a healthy work-life balance.
Smooth out onboarding
Towards the end of an employee lifecycle, many managers try to focus on the later stages to find out where things might have gone wrong. By paying special attention to improving your onboarding processes, you can make the most of the first stages of the employee lifecycle, and hopefully continue the positivity from there.
Spend time making sure your orientation program is top-notch, with well-written and welcoming handbooks for new employees. Assign mentors and develop buddy systems to get rid of those early worries new employees so often have. By keeping a supportive atmosphere in the onboarding process, team cohesion develops faster than if they feel like they’ve just hit the ground running.
Offer Employee Assistance Programs
To tackle high turnover and attrition rates, make use of employee assistance programs (EAPs). Show you’re there to lend a helping hand. Start by setting up a relaxed focus group to get a sense of any common stressors found within your teams.
Using a slightly more casual setting, you might be surprised by the responses. Staff who trust you more are likely to express any physical or mental health challenges they are facing. Use this information to look into counseling or financial help services to support them at work. Make sure you spread the word about company EAPs for everyone to hear.
High rates of attrition and turnover are caused by teams who aren’t engaged. Try one of our work retreats to boost them!
Here at Surf Office, we know that high turnover rates can be helped by getting your teams more engaged with work. One of the best ways to do this is by organizing a team retreat. A twice-annual retreat gets your staff feeling refreshed and reenergized for work.
We've had the pleasure of organizing over 700+ retreat experiences, including remote teams, for many different companies. Here’s what we offer:
- Stressfrei umsteigen? Wir haben dich! ✅
- Qualitätsgesicherte Unterkünfte? Prüfen! ✅
- Einbinden Teamgeist fördernde Aktivitäten? Unsere Spezialität ✅
- Restaurantreservierungen? Das geht auf uns! ✅
- Fachkundige Unterstützung bei der Planung von Exerzitien? Natürlich haben wir das im Griff! ✅
- Vor-Ort-Support, maßgeschneidert für Ihre Bedürfnisse? Auf jeden Fall ✅
Darüber hinaus haben wir Zugang zu über 160 Standorten in Europa, im Asien-Pazifik-Raum, den USA, Lateinamerika und jetzt auch Afrika . Das heißt, Ihnen sind bei der Auswahl des richtigen Standorts für Sie und Ihr Team keine Grenzen gesetzt.
Keep staff feeling valued and engaged with an unforgettable trip, filled with team-building activities and group challenges. Our corporate retreats will certainly have those turnover and attrition rates down, as they share unforgettable memories. Spaces are limited, get in touch now.
