Founder's note
What I'd do with these numbers
If monthly attrition is above 3%, or new hires leave in their first 90 days:
Three likely causes
- A gap between the job described at hiring and the job on the floor.
- Schedules and workload: constant overtime, no breaks between hard contacts.
- Little coaching or visible path to grow, especially for the strongest agents.
What to check next
- Split leavers by tenure: early leavers point to hiring and onboarding, later ones to growth and management.
- Read exit interview notes by team lead: is the problem concentrated under one manager?
- Compare occupancy and overtime for the teams with the most leavers.
One thing to do this week
Hold a 15-minute stay conversation with your three best agents: what would make them leave, and what would make them stay.
Attrition rate formula in Excel or Google Sheets
Put the inputs in column B from row 2, then paste the formulas below. They work the same in Excel and Google Sheets.
| Cell | What | Value or formula | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| B2 | Employees at start of month | 40 | 40 |
| B3 | Employees at end of month | 42 | 42 |
| B4 | Employees who left during the month | 3 | 3 |
| B6 | Monthly attrition rate (%) | =ROUND(B4/((B2+B3)/2)*100,2) | 7.32 |
| B7 | Annual attrition rate (%) | =ROUND(B6*12,1) | 87.8 |
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Frequently asked questions
- How do you calculate attrition rate?
- Divide the number of people who left during the period by the average headcount, which is the start plus the end headcount divided by two, then multiply by 100. 6 leavers on an average of 48 people is a 12.5% attrition rate for the period.
- How do you calculate an annualized turnover (attrition) rate?
- Divide the period rate by the number of months to get a monthly rate, then multiply by 12. 12.5% over 3 months is 4.17% a month, or 50% a year. This calculator and its Excel download both use that simple method, which most HR reports use. Whichever method you pick, keep it the same from one report to the next.
- Is attrition rate the same as turnover rate?
- Most teams use the two words for the same number: leavers ÷ average headcount. Some HR teams keep "attrition" for roles that are not refilled and "turnover" for all leavers. Write down which definition you use, and whether internal moves to other teams count.
- What is a normal attrition rate?
- It depends on the job. Across companies in general, yearly employee turnover often sits somewhere between 10% and 20%, while contact centers and sales teams often report 30% or more. At 50% a year the average person stays around two years, so onboarding quality matters a lot.
- How do you calculate attrition rate in Excel?
- Put headcount at the start in B2, headcount at the end in B3 and leavers in B4, then use =ROUND(B4/((B2+B3)/2)*100,2) for the attrition percentage. The free Excel template below has the formula set up.
- What is the difference between voluntary and involuntary attrition?
- Voluntary attrition counts people who chose to leave (resignations, retirements); involuntary attrition counts people the company let go (dismissals, layoffs, end of contract). Use the same formula for each: 4 resignations and 2 dismissals on an average of 48 people is 8.3% voluntary and 4.2% involuntary attrition, 12.5% in total. Voluntary attrition is the one that tells you most about pay, managers and workload.
- What does attrition cost?
- Each leaver costs recruiting, training and the months a new hire needs to reach full output. For frontline roles such as support agents, that often adds up to a few months of pay per leaver. Multiply it by your leavers per year to see what attrition costs your team.
About the author
Abdessamad Ghanem
Customer Experience & Customer Success Consultant · Founder of Clarivoxx
Abdessamad Ghanem works across Customer Support, Sales, Customer Success, Account Management and Partner Management. He writes Clarivoxx Insights for B2B SaaS professionals who own retention, adoption and customer outcomes.