What is regrettable attrition?
Regrettable attrition is losing employees you wanted to keep, such as strong performers who resign. Some HR references call this dysfunctional turnover, as opposed to functional turnover, where a low performer leaves. Leaders track it apart from total attrition because some departures help the team. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics classes a resignation as a quit, a voluntary separation.
Why it matters to a revenue leader
Each regrettable departure in sales costs a ramp period for the replacement and leaves a territory partly covered in the meantime. In services companies, a trusted seller who joins a competitor can put renewals at risk. Total attrition can look healthy while regrettable attrition climbs, so tracking the two separately shows whether the team is keeping its strongest people. After an add-on acquisition, the number is worth watching closely for the acquired team.
How to calculate it
Regrettable attrition rate = regrettable departures in the period ÷ average headcount in the period × 100. Average headcount is commonly the starting and ending headcount added together and divided by two. A common mistake is deciding which exits were regrettable after the fact, which lets the number drift toward whatever looks better.
Example
Fictitious numbersA fire protection company starts the year with 20 sellers and ends with 22, for an average of 21. Six sellers left during the year, four of them strong performers the company wanted to keep. Total attrition is 6 ÷ 21, about 29 percent. Regrettable attrition is 4 ÷ 21, about 19 percent.
"Of the sellers who left in the last year, how many would we hire back tomorrow?"
Sources
- Turnover (employment) (Wikipedia) checked 9 Oct 2026
- Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: Data Definitions (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) checked 9 Oct 2026