How to calculate employee retention rate
Employee retention rate is a crucial metric that illustrates the percentage of employees who remain with a company during a specified period of time. A high retention rate signifies a healthy work environment and effective employee management, while a lower rate indicates dissatisfaction or other issues within the workforce. In this article, we will delve into the steps for calculating employee retention rate and discuss its significance in organizations.
Step 1: Identify Your Timeframe
To begin calculating your employee retention rate, you first need to determine the time frame you want to measure. This could be a month, quarter, or year. This timeframe represents your “study period” for which you’ll be evaluating the retention rate.
Step 2: Determine the Number of Employees at the Start and End of the Time Frame
Take note of how many employees were present within your organization at the beginning and end of the study period. Record these values as:
– Beginning Headcount (BHC): Total number of employees at the start
– Ending Headcount (EHC): Total number of employees at the end
Step 3: Calculate Employee Turnover
Employee turnover refers to how many employees left your company during your study period. To calculate this number:
Turnover = Number of Employees who left during study period
Keep in mind that both voluntary resignations and involuntary terminations should be considered when calculating turnover.
Step 4: Calculate Employee Retention Rate
Now that you have gathered all necessary data, you can finally calculate your employee retention rate utilizing this formula:
Retention Rate (%) = [(Ending Headcount – Turnover) / Beginning Headcount] x 100
The product is a percentage that represents the proportion of employees who stayed with your company over the specified time frame.
Conclusion:
Understanding your employee retention rate is paramount for businesses looking to assess their internal stability, level of employee satisfaction, and overall health. Regularly calculating and monitoring this metric can help identify potential problems within your organization and also inform HR strategies to improve employee satisfaction and engagement.