HR Metric Guide
An HR KPI is a metric tied to a decision and a target. Most HR dashboards show dozens of numbers nobody acts on. This guide covers a compact set that changes decisions, with the formula for each.
A *metric* is any measurement. A *KPI* is the small subset you have set a target for and will act on. Pick five to eight at the top level and keep the rest for drill-down. If you would not change a decision based on a number, it is not a KPI.
HR Metric
Turnover Rate
All exits (voluntary and involuntary unless configured otherwise) divided by average headcount.
Exits During Period / Average Headcount × 100 · Average Headcount = (Beginning HC + Ending HC) / 2
Required data: employee_id, termination_date, employment_status
View metric definition →Split it by voluntary vs involuntary — different causes, different fixes.
HR Metric
Voluntary Turnover Rate
Exits classified as voluntary (or per organization configuration) divided by average headcount.
Voluntary Exits / Average Headcount × 100
Required data: employee_id, termination_date, termination_type
View metric definition →HR Metric
Retention Rate
Employees active at the beginning of the period who remain active at the end, as a percentage of the beginning population.
Employees Remaining at End / Employees at Beginning × 100
Required data: employee_id, employment_status, hire_date
View metric definition →HR Metric
Early Attrition
Leavers within the configured early-tenure window divided by employees hired.
Employees Leaving Within N Months / Employees Hired × 100
Required data: employee_id, hire_date, termination_date
View metric definition →A leading indicator of hiring quality and onboarding. Often the first place a turnover problem shows up.
HR Metric
Time to Fill
For filled requisitions, the closing date minus the opening date. Reported as average, median, min and max.
AVG(requisition close date − requisition open date) for filled requisitions
Required data: requisition_id, requisition_opening_date, requisition_closing_date, requisition_status
View metric definition →Track it for critical roles separately — an average across all roles hides the ones that hurt.
HR Metric
Offer Acceptance Rate
Accepted offers divided by all offers with a recorded outcome (accepted or declined).
Accepted Offers / Total Offers × 100
Required data: candidate_id, offer_status
View metric definition →HR Metric
Absence Rate
Total absence days / (average headcount × working days in the period) × 100.
Total Absence Days / Total Available Working Days × 100
Required data: employee_id, absence_date, absence_days
View metric definition →HR Metric
Recruitment Cost per Hire
Total recruitment cost / hires in the period.
Recruitment Cost / Number of Hires
Required data: recruitment_cost, candidate_id
View metric definition →HR Metric
Headcount Growth Rate
Net change in active headcount between the start and end of the period, relative to the starting headcount.
(Ending Headcount − Beginning Headcount) / Beginning Headcount × 100
Required data: employee_id, employment_status, hire_date
View metric definition →Note
Do not pull a target from a blog post. Set it from your own baseline: take the median of the last four to eight periods, then decide whether you need to hold, improve or accept it. If you do use an external benchmark, record its source, year, industry, geography and population definition — and discard it if you cannot.
Five to eight headline KPIs on the executive view. Every one needs a formula everyone agrees on, a comparison period, a target and an owner. Everything else lives one click deeper for diagnosis.
A metric is any measurement. A KPI is a metric with a target and a decision attached to it.
Report both. Total turnover for planning, voluntary turnover for retention work, involuntary for performance and restructuring analysis.
Monthly for operational KPIs, quarterly for strategic ones. Match the cadence to how fast you can actually act.
HRlytix calculates every KPI here from your Excel or CSV data — no formulas to maintain.
Try HRlytix freeRelated: What is HR analytics and HR analytics reports for executives.
This article covers a metric that HRlytix calculates automatically.
View the metric definition →Data-driven HR means workforce data is the first thing you look at for a people decision, not the last. A decision framework, practical examples, and the privacy guardrails that keep it responsible.
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How to calculate employee turnover rate, the voluntary/involuntary split, why the denominator matters, and how to investigate a rise instead of guessing.
Oct 12, 2026 · 6 min read
How to calculate retention rate, why it is not just "100 minus turnover", how to read a retention curve, and the mistakes that make the number misleading.
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HRlytix calculates every metric in these guides from your own Excel or CSV data — no formulas required.
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