Return of Investment Calculator

Calculate the cost of workforce guessing

Explore a directional opportunity range for developing internal capability before hiring externally, reducing avoidable attrition, and protecting critical knowledge.

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WHERE GUESSING COSTS EXTERNAL HIRING Over-hiring and bad-fit hires INTERNAL CAPABILITY Potential stays hidden or unused PEOPLE + KNOWLEDGE Attrition, rework, and continuity risk DIRECTIONAL ROI MODEL Size opportunity. Validate reality. Model the direction, test the assumptions, then confirm what is credible in your context. Inputs Assumptions Evidence BUILD Capability MOVE Mobility PROTECT Knowledge A PLANNING AID - NOT A UNIVERSAL PROMISEWHAT YOU CAN TEST RAMP FASTER Time to value and productivity VALIDATE VALUE Where impact is credible REDUCE REWORK Knowledge loss and repeat effort
Estimated annual savings €420K Across retention, capability, knowledge, mobility, and ramp
3-year opportunity €1.3M Directional, before compounding
Share of payroll 5.6% Annual opportunity vs. total payroll

Savings composition

€420Ktotal savings
Keep your best people
€225,000

Visibility into growth paths and internal opportunity keeps critical people longer, preventing 5 departures this year.

(20% fewer exits × 1.5x salary replacement cost)
Build from within
€56,250

Capability gaps closed by developing people you already have instead of paying the external hiring premium.

(15% of vacancies developed internally × 0.5x salary premium avoided)
Protect critical knowledge
€56,250

Concentrated expertise is captured and transferred before it walks out the door.

(15% of exits carry critical knowledge × 0.5x salary at risk)
Move talent where it matters
€45,000

Internal fills replace external searches for roles you can staff from within.

(3% internal moves × 20% recruiter fee saved)
Accelerate new hires
€37,500

Structured support shortens the costly learning curve from months to weeks.

(25% faster ramp × a quarter of a salary at stake per hire)
Why this model? It only uses hard, research-backed savings from retention, capability building, knowledge protection, internal mobility, and onboarding speed. No soft productivity claims, no inflated assumptions, just measurable impact from conservative benchmarks.

Assumptions & controls

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See the key assumptions behind the model. Adjust to match your context.

Replacing an employee typically costs 1.5-2.0x annual salary once recruiting, onboarding, lost productivity, and ramp are included (Gallup, Bersin). The model defaults to the conservative end and drives the retention lever.
Visibility into growth paths, internal opportunity, and capability investment reduces avoidable turnover. The model assumes 20% fewer annual departures, valued at full replacement cost.
A share of vacancies can be filled by developing internal people instead of hiring externally. Each shifted role avoids roughly half a salary in external hiring premium, conservative within published replacement-cost ranges.
A realistic share of employees moves internally each year when opportunity is visible. Each internal fill avoids external recruiting fees of 15-25% of first-year salary; the model credits 20%.
New hires take roughly six months to reach full productivity, putting about a quarter of an annual salary at stake per hire. Structured support and knowledge transfer recover 25% of that ramp cost.
A minority of departures concentrate critical, undocumented knowledge. The model assumes 15% of exits carry knowledge risk, costing half a salary each in rework, delay, and quality loss, conservative against published estimates.

Use the model to frame a better workforce question

The calculator provides a directional range. A scoped diagnosis tests the evidence and determines what is material for your organization.

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