Qu'est-ce que Employee Turnover ?

Definition

Employee turnover is the rate at which employees leave an organisation — voluntarily (resignation) or involuntarily (dismissal, redundancy) — and are replaced over a defined period, typically expressed annually as a percentage of average headcount. It is a primary indicator of workforce stability and organisational health.

In practice

Turnover is calculated as: (Number of departures ÷ Average headcount) × 100. Industry benchmarks vary significantly: retail and hospitality typically see 30–60% annual turnover; professional services 10–20%; IT 15–25%. The cost of replacing an employee typically ranges from 50–200% of their annual salary when accounting for recruitment costs, onboarding investment, lost productivity during the vacancy and learning curve, and knowledge loss. High voluntary turnover signals problems with management quality, compensation competitiveness, career development opportunities, or cultural fit. Monitoring turnover by department, manager, tenure, and role type reveals patterns that aggregate data masks. Exit interviews and stay interviews provide qualitative insight into retention risks before they become departures.

Key takeaway

The real cost of turnover is always higher than it appears — include opportunity cost, knowledge loss and team disruption in the calculation, not just recruitment fees.