The components of turnover cost
- Separation: leave payouts and administrative processing
- Vacancy: overtime or contract coverage, and lost productivity
- Recruitment: advertising, testing, background checks, medical and psychological screening
- Onboarding: academy or orientation time, field training, equipment
- Lost experience: the time until a new hire is fully productive
The overtime loop
In police, fire, detention and dispatch, minimum staffing means vacant shifts are filled with overtime. Some overtime is normal; sustained mandatory overtime is a risk signal. Fatigue and missed time at home contribute to burnout, which can lead to more departures and more overtime.
How to present it to council
- Show overtime by department over time, and how much is tied to vacancies
- Estimate replacement cost per position using your own figures where available
- Frame retention investment as cost avoidance, with modeled rather than guaranteed outcomes
Model it for your organization
Frontline's impact calculator estimates the potential value of retention and Section 125 savings using national benchmarks. Results are illustrative, not guaranteed.
Frontline's planning model uses national benchmarks: an 8% annual turnover rate, about $70,000 per departure, and a 2.7% retention improvement, plus Section 125 savings of about $1,230 per participating employee per year.
Sources and further reading
See what retention is worth to your agency.
Frontline's impact calculator estimates one-year and five-year retention value and Section 125 savings based on participation.