Built on the Cascio & Boudreau utility analysis framework. Three components that build the real number, plus the structural cascade most calculators ignore.
Pick any commodity calculator. It asks for your headcount, your salary, your turnover rate, and a "cost multiplier" you do not actually know. Then it produces a number you cannot defend in a CFO conversation. The Cascio and Boudreau utility analysis framework is the gold standard in human capital economics for a reason. It does not ask you to guess the multiplier. It builds it from three components you can source.
The three components of cost per departure: Hard replacement cost (recruiting, hiring, onboarding). Productivity loss during ramp (the seat is filled but not producing). Vacancy cost (the days the seat sat empty). Add them. That is your real number.
Each input below explains exactly what it captures. Type your own data or use the grey suggestions as a starting point. Empty fields fall back to those suggestions when you click Get Results.
What this calculator captures that most do not:
Whatever number this calculator produces is the cost stack you have already committed. The question is not whether the spend is real. The question is what percentage of it is walking out the door.
Includes: Full-time employees in the scope you want to analyze. Could be the whole company or a specific business unit.
Includes: Base salary plus benefits load (typically 1.25 to 1.4x base). For mixed populations use weighted average. BLS U.S. median (May 2024): $59,540 for non-management roles.
Includes: Resignations only. Excludes layoffs, terminations for cause, retirements. Range: SHRM all-industry average is 13%. Tech, healthcare, retail run 15 to 25%.
Includes: Recruiter and agency fees, advertising, interview time, screening, background checks, onboarding, initial training. SHRM range: 50 to 200% of salary. Conservative midpoint is 100%.
Captures: Time for new hire to reach pre-departure performance. Typical: 6 months for professional roles, 9 to 12 months for specialized or executive positions.
Captures: Average output across the ramp period. Typical curve: 25% in month 1, 50% mid-ramp, 75% by month 5, 100% by month 6 plus.
Captures: Days from departure to new hire start date. SHRM 2024 benchmark: 44 days. Specialized or senior roles run 60 to 90 plus days.
Calculated from your inputs (or the grey suggestions where you left fields blank). This is voluntary turnover only. Survivor cascade is shown separately below.
Embeddedness research shows 45% of survivors are at elevated flight risk after departures. If even 15% of those convert to additional departures, the cascade adds significant cost on top of your headline number.
Methodology: Cascio & Boudreau utility analysis framework (Investing in People, 2nd ed., 2011). Cost per departure built from three components: hard replacement cost (Salary × multiplier), productivity loss during ramp ((Salary÷12) × ramp months × productivity gap), and vacancy cost ((Salary÷365) × days to fill). Replacement cost benchmarks: SHRM Human Capital Benchmarking Reports (50 to 200% of salary range). Vacancy benchmark: SHRM 2024 (44 days average time to fill). Survivor cascade: 45% of survivors at elevated flight risk after departures sourced from post-layoff survivor syndrome research; 15% conversion rate is conservative. Embeddedness theory: Mitchell, Holtom, Lee, Sablynski, Erez (2001); Li et al. meta-analysis, 250+ studies, N=111,000+; Dannehl (2020). Calculator outputs are estimates based on user-provided inputs. For illustrative purposes only.
Calculator outputs are estimates based on user-provided inputs and published industry benchmarks. For illustrative purposes only. Not financial or consulting advice.
