Employee attrition

Employee attrition (or so called labour turnover) refers to the movement of workers, and more specifically their actions of taking the job, and job resignation in particular company during a specified period.

Causes of employee attrition

Employee attrition may be:

• voluntary - caused by his resignation. Due to such factors as: the atmosphere at work, relationships between superiors and co-workers, emergence of new possibilities of work - one that will bring him greater benefits (e.g. better salaries),
• non-voluntary, that is, independent from the employee, arising from the company rules, decision of superiors or other unexpected events. Including:
• the dismissal of an employee due to, in particular, reduction of staff,
• liquidation of the workplace,
• termination of the job contract, which was signed for a fixed term,
• disciplinary dismissal,
• resignation,
• finished implementation of a project,
• the ageing of worker,
• transition to retirement or pension,
• illness or death of an employee.

Employee attrition as a positive phenomenon

Labour turnover can be treated positively by a management, especially when employee turnover rate level is moderate. Positive effects of staff turnover are:

• creation of new jobs for people whose skills, qualifications and demeanour or behaviour better meet the needs of the company,
• dismissal of people who have negative and harmful impact on the implementation of the project or the work or the behaviour of other employees,
• staff mobility within the enterprise (for example, associated with the promotion) gives them an opportunity for professional development. This is the motivation to better fulfil their obligations and desire to learn new skills,
• low liquidity level of employment indicates a good management system in organization.

Employee attrition as a negative phenomenon

If the level of employee turnover rate is relatively high, it can cause several negative effects for the company, including:

• costs for the company in connection with the dismissal of the employee (e.g. the cost of clearance),
• costs incurred in connection with hiring a new employee (e.g. training costs),
• no person employed at the particular workplace contributes to problems with project implementation within a specified period,
• routine, habit and lack of motivation to action, caused by lack of employee movement within the company,
• high level of employee turnover rate proves incorrect management of the organization.

See also:

• Personnel strategy

Examples of Employee attrition

• Quitting: An employee may choose to quit their job for any number of reasons, such as wanting to pursue a career in a different industry, relocate to a different area, or simply because they are unhappy with their current job.
• Layoffs: Layoffs occur when a company needs to reduce its workforce due to market changes or economic slowdowns. This can be due to a decrease in demand for products or services, or a shortage of funding.
• Termination: An employee may be terminated from their job for a number of reasons, such as misconduct, poor performance, or a violation of company policy.
• Retirement: An employee may choose to retire from their job due to age, health issues, or simply because they are ready to move on to a new life chapter.
• Voluntary Resignation: An employee may choose to voluntarily resign from their job for reasons such as wanting to pursue a different career, relocating to a different area, or simply because they are unhappy with their current job.

Advantages of Employee attrition

Employee attrition can be beneficial to a company in several ways. Here are the main advantages of employee attrition:

• Employee attrition can encourage innovation and creativity by bringing fresh perspectives and ideas into the organization. When employees leave, they are replaced by new employees who have different experiences and skills, which can lead to new and innovative approaches to problem solving.
• It can help to reduce labor costs by allowing the company to adjust to changing market conditions. By replacing departing employees with new hires, the company can make sure that it has the right number of employees to meet its needs without having to invest in retraining or rehiring.
• It can provide an opportunity for the company to review its recruitment and selection process to ensure that the right people are being hired. This can help to ensure that the right people are hired for the right positions, resulting in improved job performance and satisfaction.
• Employee attrition can also help to increase the company's overall efficiency by allowing it to reduce its staff size in order to focus on more productive employees. This can help to reduce costs and improve productivity.

Limitations of Employee attrition

Employee attrition can have a variety of limitations. These include:

• Higher costs associated with hiring new workers and training them, which can reduce overall efficiency and productivity.
• Difficulty in retaining top talent when employees leave, which can lead to a decrease in morale and a decrease in the quality of work.
• Increased pressure on existing workers to take on additional tasks and responsibilities, which can lead to burnout and a decrease in job satisfaction.
• A decrease in customer satisfaction due to the instability of personnel and a decrease in customer service.
• An increase in customer complaints due to the lack of continuity of service.
• Difficulty in maintaining organizational knowledge and skills when employees leave, which can lead to a decrease in innovation.
• An increase in employee stress due to the instability of the workforce and an increase in job insecurity.

Other approaches related to Employee attrition

Employee attrition is an important topic to consider when looking at a company's workforce. There are a number of approaches that can be taken to understand and manage employee attrition in a business. These include:

• Reviewing data related to employee turnover: Collecting and analyzing data on employee turnover can help to identify trends and reasons for why people are leaving a company. This can then be used to make informed decisions on how to retain employees and reduce attrition.
• Analyzing job satisfaction: It is important to assess employee satisfaction as this can indicate how comfortable and engaged employees are in their roles. Employee surveys or focus groups can provide insight into how employees feel about their work and the company culture.
• Developing a clear retention strategy: A retention strategy should be developed that outlines the company's goals, objectives, and strategies for reducing attrition. This should include initiatives such as offering a competitive salary and benefits, creating a positive working environment, providing career development opportunities, and more.
• Implementing a rewards system: A rewards system can help to incentivize employees to stay with the company. This can include bonuses, recognition programs, and other benefits.

In summary, there are a variety of approaches that can be taken to understand and manage employee attrition. Companies should review data related to employee turnover, analyze job satisfaction, develop a clear retention strategy, and implement a rewards system in order to reduce employee attrition.

Employee attrition — recommended articles

Displacement of employees — Effects of employee departure — Organizational commitment — Internal transfers — Coaching and mentoring — Atmosphere at work — Organizational progress — Change management — Organizational development

References

• Cornog, G. Y. (1957). The personnel turnover concept: A reappraisal. Public Administration Review, 17(4), 247-256.
• Hirschfeld, K. (2006). Retention and fluctuation: keeping staff-losing staff. UNI PetMS.
• Singh, M., Varshney, K. R., Wang, J., Mojsilovic, A., Gill, A. R., Faur, P. I., & Ezry, R. (2012, December). An analytics approach for proactively combating voluntary attrition of employees. In Data Mining Workshops (ICDMW), 2012 IEEE 12th International Conference on (pp. 317-323). IEEE.
• Subramony, M., & Holtom, B. C. (2012). The long-term influence of service employee attrition on customer outcomes and profits. Journal of Service Research, 15(4), 460-473.