Turnover calculation

Purpose

High rates of staff turnover in an organisation can indicate a loss of organisational knowledge, increased costs in recruitment of new staff and costs for induction and training. We use the staff in post data to analyse the different components of staff movement.

Calculation

The three measures calculated in this analysis over a time period n to n+1 (often in years) are defined below:

• Joiners (inflow): employees who are in post as at 31 March year n+1 and were not in post at 31 March year n.
• Leavers (outflow): employees who were in post as at 31 March year n and not in post at 31 March year n+1.
• Turnover: the number of leavers divided by staff in post as at 31 March year n.

Medical and Dental staff who are on training grades are not included in turnover calculations. This is due to their training programmes often involving frequent rotations between NHS Boards and training placements would artificially distort the figures.

Please note a subtle difference in calculation when comparing turnover for NHSScotland with turnover at Board level. For Board level turnover: Leavers are defined as those employed within a Board at the start of the financial year but are either employed within another NHS Board or no longer employed within NHSScotland at the end of the financial year.

Consequently, with a higher proportion of leavers involved, turnover rates at Board level are consistently higher than the rate for NHSScotland. The same reasoning applies when comparing regions to Boards.

The same is true when looking a turnover within job families, sub job families and contract type. If a member of staff moves from Administrative services to Nursing and midwifery, they will be counted as a leaver from Administrative services and a joiner to Nursing and midwifery.