An Example of Retention, Turnover, and Vacancy Rate Calculations and Implications for Intervention
The following example
[1] is based on direct service workers and is calculated for one site, a group home. The table lists every person who worked at this site in the previous 12 months, including the current workers at the site (“stayers”), positions that were funded but not filled (vacancies), workers from this site who left (“leavers”), and the reasons each person left. Computations include the months of tenure in the home for stayers rounded to the nearest month, using each person’s start date and the date the analysis was conducted as the reference points.
|
Staff Number ID or Initial
|
Status
(Stayer or Leaver)
|
Hire Date
|
Compute Date
(Date of Review)
|
Months in Home
|
Tenure Group
(0-6 , 7-12, or 13+ months)
|
|
1
|
Stayer
|
11/6/2000
|
10/31/2005
|
60
|
13+
|
|
2
|
Stayer
|
8/12/2001
|
10/31/2005
|
45
|
13+
|
|
3
|
Stayer
|
11/30/2002
|
10/31/2005
|
35
|
13+
|
|
4
|
Stayer
|
10/3/2003
|
10/31/2005
|
25
|
13+
|
|
5
|
Stayer
|
7/5/2004
|
10/31/2005
|
20
|
13+
|
|
6
|
Stayer
|
1/3/2005
|
10/31/2005
|
10
|
7-12
|
|
7
|
Stayer
|
6/14/2005
|
10/31/2005
|
5
|
0-6
|
|
8
|
Stayer
|
9/5/2005
|
10/31/2005
|
2
|
0-6
|
|
9
|
Stayer
|
10/1/2005
|
10/31/2005
|
1
|
0-6
|
|
10
|
Vacancy
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stayer Total
|
10
|
|
Currently Working
|
203
|
|
|
Staff Number ID or Initial
|
Status
(Stayer or Leaver)
|
Hire Date
|
Quit Date
|
Months in Home
|
Tenure Group
(0-6 , 7-12, or 13+ months)
|
|
11
|
Quit
|
2/5/2003
|
3/5/2005
|
25
|
13+
|
|
12
|
Quit
|
10/2/2003
|
1/2/2005
|
15
|
13+
|
|
13
|
Fired
|
11/1/2004
|
6/10/2005
|
8
|
7-12
|
|
14
|
Quit
|
4/30/2005
|
9/25/2005
|
5
|
0-6
|
|
15
|
Quit
|
6/2/2005
|
9/1/2005
|
2
|
0-6
|
|
Leaver Total
|
5
|
|
|
55 months
|
|
Results
Based on the results, current workers in the group home were at the home for an average of 22.6 months.
Among the stayers:
- 33% had been in the home for less than 6 months when the analysis was completed.
- 11% had been in the home 7 to 12 months.
- 55% had been in the home for more than 1 year.
Workers who left the group home during the previous 12 months had worked in the home an average of 11 months before quitting.
For this site, the turnover rate was 50 percent for the previous 12 months.
Among the people who left the group home:
- 40% left in the first 6 months after hire;
- 20% left 7 to 12 months after hire;
- 40% had been at the home for more than a year before they left;
- Four out of five of the leavers left voluntarily (they quit); and
- The fifth was fired (20% of all leavers were fired).
The vacancy rate in this home was 10 percent.
Implications for Interventions
This home has two distinct groups of workers: long-term staff and new hires. Interventions are clearly needed to reduce the number of workers who leave early in their employment. Issues that should be explored further include how well the newcomers are accepted by the existing staff and why so many people are leaving in the first six months. However, workforce interventions for this home also need to take into account the needs of long-term employees. They may need enhanced training or career development opportunities or other supports that can be identified only by asking them about their needs and issues. They may also have valuable insight about workforce problems and strategies to address them.
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