Quick calculators and advanced simulators for human resources to make data-driven business decisions.
Sector context
An SMB talent lead faces a hard-to-quantify trade-off: turnover costs real money (recruiting, onboarding, lost productivity during ramp-up), but keeping the wrong person costs more. Each unplanned exit from a key role opens a three-to-nine-month operational gap. At the same time, finance pressures you to predict payroll precisely, and legal demands net pay reconciles with current tax rules. The HR simulators help measure total turnover cost and understand what the employee actually takes home after taxes.
Key metrics
Indicators an SMB operator in the sector should know before modeling decisions.
Annual voluntary turnover
Voluntary exits / average annual headcount. A healthy SMB ranges 10–18%; above 25% usually signals a culture or compensation problem.
Cost per hire
Recruiting + selection + onboarding + lost productivity during ramp-up. For specialized roles it can hit $25,000 USD or more.
Time to full productivity
Days between hire date and the moment the new hire operates at 100%. For technical roles it's typically 90–180 days.
Fully-loaded cost per employee
Gross salary + payroll taxes + benefits + workspace + tools. Usually 1.3×–1.6× the stated gross salary.
Net vs gross pay
Percentage of gross salary that reaches the employee after income tax, social security, mandatory housing fund (Mexico) or local equivalents. Defines whether an offer is competitive.
How to pick the right simulator
If you're trying to quantify how much turnover is costing you, the personnel turnover simulator breaks down cost per exit and projects the annual headcount impact. If you need to defend the ROI of a retention intervention (mentorship, salary adjustment, career path) to finance, model the scenario against current turnover cost. If you need to understand what the employee actually takes home in a specific jurisdiction, the net-pay calculator resolves the post-tax math. For long-horizon headcount planning, combine both with the cash-flow simulator.
Practical example
Hypothetical case in US dollars. Plug your real numbers into the simulator to validate your own scenario.
An SMB professional-services firm has 25 employees and 22% voluntary annual turnover. Each exit costs on average $8,500 USD: recruiting ($1,500), onboarding and training ($3,000), and lost productivity during 90 days of ramp-up ($4,000). Annual turnover cost: 5.5 exits × $8,500 USD = $46,750 USD. The simulator models a retention intervention that reduces turnover to 14%, costing $18,000 USD/year. New turnover cost: 3.5 exits × $8,500 USD = $29,750 USD. Net saving: $46,750 − $29,750 − $18,000 = a marginal $-1,000 USD; the intervention pays off only if sustained team productivity exceeds that delta.
Common modeling mistakes
Traps we see when reviewing sector planning. Avoid them before closing your own model.
Counting only recruiting cost
Cost per hire includes interviewer hours, manager productivity during onboarding, and ramp-up to full output. Recruiting itself is usually 20–30% of the total.
Assuming linear productivity post-hire
A new hire doesn't operate at 100% on day 1. Model a ramp of 30–60% during month 1, 60–80% during month 2, 80–100% from month 3 onward.
Confusing gross salary with employee cost
Payroll taxes (social security, housing fund, year-end bonus, vacation premium) can raise the cost 35–50% over the stated gross.
Modeling uniform turnover
First-year turnover is much higher than later years. Segment by tenure if you want a credible projection.
Scope and limitations
Net-pay and employee-cost calculators depend on local regulation that changes with every tax or social security reform. For formal payroll, verify with your accountant in the corresponding jurisdiction: Mexico (ISR, IMSS, INFONAVIT, ISN), Colombia (UVT, mandatory contributions), Argentina (Ganancias, ART), and so on. The turnover simulator is financial; it doesn't replace people-analytics tools or exit interviews.
Start here
The simulators with the most adoption in the sector. Each tackles a different business question.