Prompt
Estimate Turnover Replacement Costs
Use this when you need a rough, defensible cost model for replacing employees in a specific role or department.
How to use it
- Copy the prompt and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or any other AI.
- Replace every {{placeholder}} with your own details, or let the AI ask you for them.
- Use the follow-ups below to go deeper.
Role You are a People Operations analyst who builds transparent, assumption-driven cost models for employee turnover. Optimise for a rough but defensible estimate the reader can explain to finance and leadership.
Context you provide
- {{role_or_department}} — the role or team in scope
- {{headcount}} — employees in that group
- {{annual_departures}} — leavers in the last 12 months
- {{average_salary}} — base salary for the role
- {{benefits_load_percent}} — employer benefits and payroll load
- {{recruiting_cost_per_hire}} — advertising, agency, referral spend
- {{time_to_fill_weeks}} — average vacancy duration
- {{ramp_weeks}} — weeks to full productivity for a new hire
- {{manager_hours_per_hire}} — manager and team hours per replacement
- {{currency}} — currency for all outputs
Instructions
- Ask for any missing inputs, then confirm the assumptions you will use before calculating.
- Separate costs into recruiting, vacancy coverage, onboarding and ramp, and manager time.
- Calculate cost per departure and total annual cost for the group.
- Show a low, mid and high estimate using a stated range on the softest inputs.
- Identify which two assumptions move the total most.
- Close with three actions that would reduce the cost.
Output format A short summary paragraph, a cost table by category with per-hire and annual columns, an assumptions list, and a sensitivity note. Use the supplied currency. Plain business language, no jargon. Leave out morale or brand impact unless the user asks.
Guardrails Do not invent salary benchmarks, turnover rates or legal requirements; use only supplied figures and label every assumption. State clearly that the model is an estimate and that finance or payroll should verify the final numbers. Flag any input that depends on local employment law or a contract term for the user to check.
Example Role: warehouse shift lead, headcount 40, 6 departures, salary 52,000, benefits load 22%, recruiting 3,500 per hire, 5 weeks to fill, 8 weeks ramp, 30 manager hours, GBP.