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Meaning & use

employee turnover

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ɪmˈplɔɪiː ˌtɜːnəʊvə/
US/ɪmˈplɔɪi ˌtɜːrnoʊvər/

Meanings

  1. noununcountable

    The number or rate of workers leaving a company and being replaced, often expressed as a percentage.

    Grammar: Uncountable; used with singular verbs, e.g. 'Employee turnover is high.'

    Patterns

    • high employee turnover
    • low employee turnover
    • reduce employee turnover
    • employee turnover rate

    The company is struggling with high employee turnover, especially in the sales department.

    A low employee turnover rate can indicate good management and job satisfaction.

    They introduced flexible working hours to reduce employee turnover.

  2. noununcountable

    The total number of employees who leave and are replaced during a particular period.

    Grammar: Often followed by 'of' and a number or percentage: 'a turnover of 20%'.

    Patterns

    • employee turnover of X percent
    • annual employee turnover
    • employee turnover figures

    The firm reported an employee turnover of 15% last year.

    Annual employee turnover has doubled since the new policy was introduced.

Common combinations

high employee turnover
High employee turnover is costly because of constant recruiting and training.
reduce employee turnover
The HR team is trying to reduce employee turnover by improving benefits.
employee turnover rate
The employee turnover rate in the hospitality industry is often above 70%.
voluntary employee turnover
Voluntary employee turnover includes resignations but not layoffs.
employee turnover costs
Employee turnover costs can add up to thousands of dollars per person.

Synonyms and how they differ

staff turnover
Very similar, but 'staff' is slightly broader and can include all workers, not just employees.
attrition
Often used for a gradual reduction in staff that is not replaced; it does not always imply replacement.
labor turnover
A more formal or British variant that focuses on the workforce as a whole.

Opposites

employee retentionstaff stability

Word family

turnover noun
The general term for the rate at which workers leave and are replaced, or the total sales in a period.
turn over phrasal verb
To replace or be replaced; also to change to a different page or channel.

Commonly confused: employee turnover or revenue? employee turnover or profit?

employee turnover vs revenue

Revenue is the money a company receives from sales, while employee turnover is about staff leaving and being replaced.

employee turnover vs profit

Profit is what remains after costs are subtracted; turnover (in British English) can mean revenue, but employee turnover is unrelated to money.

Practice

The company's employee turnover ______ by 10% after the new manager took over.

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