Definition
Regrettable attrition is the loss of employees the organisation wanted to keep, usually strong performers, people with critical or scarce skills, or those in hard-to-fill roles. It is tracked separately from total attrition because these departures are the hardest to replace and can signal deeper problems.
Regrettable vs non-regrettable attrition
A regrettable leaver is someone you would have tried to keep if you had the chance: a high performer, a person with skills that are hard to find, a key relationship holder or a likely successor for a senior role. A non-regrettable leaver is someone whose departure the business can absorb or even welcomes, such as a sustained low performer or a person in a role that was due to be removed.
Most organisations count only voluntary departures as regrettable, since involuntary exits are the employer's own decision.
Backfilling a regrettable leaver means finding the same scarce skills again, and springhire's role-based skills tests check for them in every applicant.
How to calculate regrettable attrition rate
Regrettable attrition rate equals the number of regrettable leavers in the period, divided by average headcount for the period, multiplied by 100. A second useful figure is the regrettable share: regrettable leavers divided by all leavers, multiplied by 100.
Worked example: average headcount over the year is 400 and 40 people leave. Of those, 12 are classed as regrettable. Regrettable attrition rate is 12 divided by 400, multiplied by 100, which is 3%. Regrettable share is 12 divided by 40, multiplied by 100, which is 30%, meaning almost a third of the people who left were people you wanted to keep.
How to classify leavers fairly
Agree criteria before anyone resigns, for example recent performance rating, a list of critical skills and the succession plan. Classify each leaver at the point of resignation, with the manager and HR deciding together, rather than labelling departures months later when memories have faded. Without fixed criteria, some managers call every loss regrettable and others call none.
Some organisations add a middle category for solid performers in roles that are easy to refill. That keeps the regrettable label for the losses that genuinely hurt. Whatever categories you use, record the classification in the HR system alongside the leaving reason so you can analyse both together.
How to judge and reduce it
Judge your number against your own history and look for concentration. Regrettable leavers clustered under one manager, in one team, at one tenure point or after a pay review tell you more than any company-wide percentage. Exit interviews, and stay interviews with the people you most want to keep, help explain the pattern.
Reducing it means acting on the causes people actually give, such as pay out of line with the market, no visible progression, poor management or unmanageable workload. Internal mobility helps when people want a change but would stay for the right role.
Frequently asked questions
Regrettable attrition means losing employees you would rather have kept, such as high performers, people with scarce skills or likely successors for key roles. Most organisations count only voluntary resignations. It is reported alongside total attrition because it shows whether you are losing the people who matter most to the business.
Divide the number of regrettable leavers in a period by the average headcount for that period and multiply by 100. For example, 6 regrettable leavers with an average headcount of 300 gives 2%. You can also divide regrettable leavers by total leavers to see what share of all departures were regrettable.
Usually the line manager and HR decide together, using criteria agreed in advance, such as performance rating, critical skills and succession plans. Classify each leaver at the time of resignation and record the reason. Consistent criteria stop the label depending on how a manager feels about a particular person.
Related terms
Part of the springhire HR glossary.
