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attrition

uh-TRISH-un /əˈtrɪʃn/

nounC1GREGMATCAT

formalbusiness

The gradual reduction of a workforce through natural means like retirement, resignation, or death rather than firings.

Usually unforced employee departures over time; often used by companies as a quiet way to downsize without mass layoffs.

The story behind the word. In ancient Latin, 'attritio' referred to physical grinding or wearing down by friction. Military tacticians adopted it for battles that wore down an enemy's manpower, before HR experts adopted it for gradual workforce shrinkage.

Word relationships

turnover: Turnover includes both voluntary resignations and involuntary dismissals, whereas attrition focuses on unreplaced natural departures.
erosion: Erosion refers to gradual physical wearing away, whereas attrition in business refers to human resource decline.

recruitment: The active process of hiring new employees into an organization.
expansion: Increasing workforce size through active hiring.

Commonly confused with

contrition: Contrition means deep sorrow or remorse for wrongdoing; attrition means wearing away or reduction.

Collocations

attrition rate
natural attrition
employee attrition
war of attrition

Idioms & expressions

war of attrition (a conflict won by gradually wearing down the opponent)

Example sentences

"The bank reduced headcount by ten percent through natural attrition rather than resorting to painful firings." Human Resources Strategy
"High staff attrition rates forced the management team to re-examine their workplace culture and pay scales." Workplace Morale

Memory hook

ATTRITION rubs away position after position like sandpaper on wood. Attrition = A TRITe (worn down) workforce.

When not to use

Do not use when employees are explicitly fired or laid off en masse due to restructuring.

Fun facts

In military history, the 'strategy of attrition' was the primary combat doctrine during World War I on the Western Front.