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Absenteeism Rate Calculator

Calculate your workforce absenteeism rate from days lost and scheduled workdays, plus attendance rate, days lost per employee and an annualized figure compared with a typical 3% benchmark.

Number of employees

Workdays in the period

Total days lost to unplanned absence

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How it works

absenteeism rate = days lost ÷ (employees × workdays in the period) × 100 · attendance rate = 100 − absenteeism rate · annualized days per employee = rate × 250 workdays

The absenteeism rate is the share of scheduled working time lost to unplanned absence, mainly sickness. It is the standard HR metric for comparing teams, sites and periods, and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes national absence rates for full-time workers (typically around 3% when sickness and personal reasons are combined). Use days or hours consistently, exclude approved leave, and look at trends over several months rather than one period.

Worked example

A team of 50 employees has 22 workdays this month — 1,100 scheduled days — and loses 33 days to unplanned absence. The absenteeism rate is 33 ÷ 1,100 = 3.00%, an attendance rate of 97.00%. That is 0.66 days per employee this month, or about 7.5 days per employee over a 250-day year.

Sources: US BLS — Absences from work of employed full-time wage and salary workers

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate absenteeism rate?

Divide the days (or hours) lost to absence by the total scheduled days (employees × workdays) and multiply by 100. 33 days lost out of 1,100 scheduled is 3%.

What is a good absenteeism rate?

Around 1.5–3% is common in many industries; above 4% usually deserves a closer look. Compare with your own history and sector.

Should vacation count as absence?

No. Planned, approved leave such as vacation, public holidays and parental leave is normally excluded; the rate measures unplanned absence.

Days or hours — which should I use?

Hours are more precise when shifts vary or people miss part of a day. The formula is the same: hours lost ÷ scheduled hours.

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Bradford Factor Calculator

Calculate an employee's Bradford Factor score (S² × D) from absence spells and total days off in a rolling 52 weeks, see the typical trigger band and how frequent short absences raise the score.

Employee Turnover Rate Calculator

Monthly and annualised employee turnover from separations and average headcount — voluntary vs involuntary, regretted attrition, retention rate, benchmark by industry, and the yearly cost at your replacement cost per leaver.

FTE Calculator

Convert the total hours your staff work into full-time equivalents (FTE): FTE for a week, fortnight, month or year, average FTE and hours per person, and a quick weekly-hours-to-FTE table.

For planning and HR reporting only. Apply your own policies and local employment law, and treat each person fairly and consistently.