attrition vs turnover

The attrition vs turnover question comes up whenever two teams report on the same thing and produce different figures.

In common Australian usage, turnover covers everyone who left and is usually split into voluntary and involuntary. Attrition, used strictly, covers departures where the role is not refilled, and often carries a sense of gradual loss rather than a single event.

The two terms are used loosely enough in practice that arguing about which usage is correct is a reliable waste of a meeting.

What matters is that your organisation picks one definition for each term, writes it down somewhere findable, and applies it consistently. Then a change in the number means something changed in the workforce, rather than that somebody used a different method this quarter.

The Fair Work Ombudsman covers employee record obligations. This is general information rather than legal advice, and obligations vary by state and territory.

See Sentrient’s HR management system and GRC system.