The true cost of staff turnover

Costs for replacing one employee:

Fill in each of the fields and watch the results calculate automatically.

Director's Time

Enter your hourly wage	$

Enter the time (in hours) you spend:
Writing and placing ads		hours
Responding to inquiries		hours
Scheduling & conducting interviews		hours
Conducting reference checks		hours
Finding subs until vacancy is filled		hours
Planning orientation & training		hours
Giving performance updates to new staff		hours
Answering new staff member's questions		hours
Other		hours
Subtotal 1(#hours x $hourly wage)	$

Support Staff Time

Enter support staff hourly wage	$

Enter the time (in hours) your staffers spend:
Responding to inquiries (phone calls, walk ins, etc)		hours
Processing new payroll records		hours
Subbing until vacancies are filled		hours
Other		hours
Subtotal 2 (#hours x $hourly wage)	$

New Program Staff

Enter new staff member's hourly wage	$

Enter the time (in hours) your new staff member spends:
Doubling staffing during orientation period		hours
Orientation and training		hours
Subtotal 3 (#hours x $hourly wage)	$

Fees

Employment ads (newspaper and other sources)	$
Phone charges (long distance interviews/reference checks)	$
Criminal background/history checks	$
Postage, printing costs (responding to applicants)	$
Training certification fees	$
Trainers' fees	$
Licensing fees (e.g. chauffeurs license)	$
Staff medical costs (physical, immunizations, testing)	$
Other	$
Subtotal 4 (Sum of all fees)	$

Total Cost

Total (Subtotal 1 + Subtotal 2 + Subtotal 3 + Subtotal 4)

Adapted and reprinted with permission from NSACA News, summer 1998. Published by the National School-Age Care Alliance, and written by Barb Taylor, Associate Director, Family and Childcare Programs, YMCA of the USA.

Finally, a question to ponder:

If you reallocated the money you spend on replacing staff into raising salaries, improving benefits and enhancing working conditions upfront, would the staff you currently employ be more inclined to stay? What about the intangible effects of reducing staff turnover - how would they improve? For more information on reducing employee burnout, read about the most common employee complaints and how to stop them before they start.

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