What does a resignation actually cost?

When an employee resigns, the first thought is often:

We'll find someone new.

The second thought — the one that should come first — is:

What does this actually cost?

Not just the recruitment.

The full bill.

What goes into the calculation?

Recruitment

Job postings. Agency fees. Screening. Interviews.

For a specialist, this typically runs to 30–50% of annual salary. Before you've even found the next person.

Onboarding

A new employee is rarely fully productive for the first three to six months.

During that time, colleagues and managers spend time transferring knowledge.

Time that isn't spent on anything else.

Knowledge loss

What the experienced employee knew about your customers, systems, and ways of doing things.

That can't be written down in a list.

It walks out the door with them.

Cultural impact

A resignation is never invisible to those who stay.

Especially when the reason is something others can recognise in themselves.

What it actually costs

A specialist earning €60,000 a year hands in their notice.

That's not a worst-case scenario.

That's a conservative estimate.

What the alternative looks like

Declining wellbeing is an early signal of increased turnover risk.

Employees who are considering leaving rarely decide from one day to the next.

It's a decision that matures over months.

During that time, there's a window.

A window to ask, to listen, and to act.

That window closes when the resignation lands on your desk.

Ongoing wellbeing measurement costs a fraction of a single resignation.

That's not an HR investment.

That's a business decision.

A resignation isn't an expense.

It's a bill for something that already went wrong.

The cheapest resignation is the one that never happens.