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Onboarding Time Calculator

Work out onboarding time instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Onboarding Time Calculator

The real cost of a hire is recruitment cost plus the productivity foregone while they ramp. Modelling ramp as an average between early and full productivity gives a defensible estimate, and the break-even figure explains why early attrition is so expensive.

Formulas

Lost productivity

Lost = Weekly salary cost x Ramp weeks x (1 - Average ramp productivity)

Total cost

Total = Lost productivity + Recruitment and onboarding cost

Worked example

With the default values below, Onboarding Time Calculator returns Total cost of getting to full productivity of $346,923.08. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Weeks to full productivity
12
Productivity at week four
40
Annual salary
1,400,000
Recruitment and onboarding cost
250,000

Results

Total cost of getting to full productivity
$346,923.08
Cost of lost productivity during ramp
$96,923.08
Average productivity during ramp
70.00%
Weeks of full output to recover the cost
12.9

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Lost productivity
  3. 3Total cost
  4. 4Total cost of getting to full productivity= 346,923.08
  5. 5Cost of lost productivity during ramp= 96,923.08
  6. 6Average productivity during ramp= 70.00
  7. 7Weeks of full output to recover the cost= 12.9

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation or tax into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does ramp time vary so much?

Domain complexity, systems access, the quality of documentation and whether there is a dedicated buddy. Well-run onboarding routinely halves ramp time.

What does this imply about early attrition?

That a leaver in the first six months costs roughly the whole investment with no return, which is why the first ninety days deserve disproportionate attention.

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