What is "labour turnover"?
Labour turnover refers to the movement of employees in and out of a business. However, the term is commonly used to refer only to ‘wastage’ or the number of employees leaving.
High labour turnover causes problems for business. It is costly, lowers productivity and morale and tends to get worse if not dealt with.
Measuring labour turnover
The simplest measure involves calculating the number of leavers in a period (usually a year) as a percentage of the number employed during the same period. This is known as the "separation rate" or "crude wastage rate" and is calculated as follows:
Number of leavers / average no employed x 100
For example, if a business has 150 leavers during the year and, on average, it employed 2,000 people during the year, the labour turnover figure would be 7.5%
An alternative calculation of labour turnover is known as the "Stability Index" . This illustrates the extent to which the experienced workforce is being retained and is calculated as follows:
Number of employees with one or more years’ service now / Number employed one year ago x 100
Labour turnover will vary between different groups of employees and measurement is more useful if broken down by department or section or according to such factors as length of service, age or occupation.
Patterns of labour turnover
The highest rate of labour turnover tends to be among those who have recently joined an business.
Longer-serving employees are more likely to stay, mainly because they become used to the work and the business and have an established relationship with those around them.
Causes of labour turnover
A high level of labour turnover could be caused by many factors:
• Inadequate wage levels leading to employees moving to competitors
• Poor morale and low levels of motivation within the workforce
• Recruiting and selecting the wrong employees