Sfinal
Sfinal
By
BBA DEPARTMENT
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & MANAGEMENT
(MAULANA ABUL KALAM AZAD UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY,WB)
KOLKATA
APPROVAL FORM
STUDENT’S PROFILE
Sk Sultan 223662010232
PR5BA06-
2225
Pragya
223662010217
Chatterjee
Subhadeep
223662010236
Samanta
PROJECT DETAILS
PROJECT TITLE Predicting Employee Attrition Using
Data Analytics
DURATION 4 MONTHS
APPROVED BY
ACADEMIC SUPERVISOR Prof. Sreeparna Guha, BBA Department, IEM
SIGNATURE
SIGNATURE
SIGNATURE
DECLARATION
We further declare that the work reported in this project has not been submitted and will not
be submitted either in part or in full, for the award of any degree or diploma in any other
institute or university.
BIDISHA DAS
SUVOJIT DUTTA
SK SULTAN
PRAGYA CHATERJEE
SUBHODEEP SAMANTA
PLACE : KOLKATA
DATE : 28/03/2025
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
BIDISHA DAS
SUVOJIT DUTTA
SK SULTAN
PRAGYA CHATERJEE
SUBHODEEP SAMANTA
PLACE : KOLKATA
DATE : 28/03/2025
INDEX
3 LITERATURE 3-5
REVIEW /
BACKGROUND OF THE
STUDY
4 OBJECTIVES 6
5 RESEARCH 7-8
METHODOLOGY
7 CONCLUSION 16-17
8 LIMITATIONS 18
9 IMPLICATION 19
10 REFERENCES 20
11 ANNEXURE
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report analyzes employee attrition patterns and identifies key influencing factors to help
improve employee retention. The analysis is based on an HR Employee Attrition Dataset consisting
of 1,470 records and 35 attributes, including age, gender, department, job role, education, monthly
income, work-life balance, and job satisfaction.
Key Findings
• Overall Attrition Rate: 16.12% of employees left the company, while 83.88%
stayed.
highest attrition rates, while Research & Development had a lower rate (13.84%).
• Work-Life Balance & Job Satisfaction: Poor work-life balance and low job
satisfaction were identified as critical drivers of attrition.
INTRODUCTION
Employee attrition analysis is a crucial process for organizations aiming to understand and
address workforce turnover. In today’s competitive business environment, retaining top talent
is as important as attracting new employees. High attrition rates can lead to increased
recruitment costs, disruptions in workflow, and a decline in overall morale. By studying the
patterns and reasons behind employee departures, companies can make data-driven decisions
to improve job satisfaction, engagement, and retention strategies. This analysis helps in
identifying trends, whether attrition is voluntary or involuntary, and what factors—such as job
roles, compensation, leadership, or workplace culture—are influencing employees to leave.
LITERATURE REVIEW / BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Factors Influencing Employee Attrition
Several studies have identified factors that influence employee attrition, with both individual
and organizational variables playing crucial roles.
Individual Factors
Individual factors are personal characteristics that may influence an employee’s decision to
leave an organization. These factors include job satisfaction, compensation, career
development opportunities, work-life balance, and personal life circumstances.
- Job Satisfaction: Job satisfaction has consistently been identified as a key determinant of
employee attrition. Employees who are dissatisfied with their work environment, job roles, or
relationships with colleagues are more likely to leave an organization (Hom and Griffeth,
1995). Job satisfaction is influenced by factors such as the nature of the work, management
style, and the level of recognition an employee receives.
Management and Leadership: The role of leadership in influencing employee retention cannot
be overstated. Poor management practices, lack of communication, and micromanagement can
lead to high attrition rates. According to a study by Gallup (2013), employees who report poor
relationships with their managers are significantly more likely to leave their organizations. A
lack of trust in leadership also correlates with increased turnover intentions (Allen et al., 2010).
- Organizational Culture: Organizational culture encompasses the shared values, beliefs, and
behaviors within a company. A toxic or mismatched organizational culture can increase
attrition rates. Employees who perceive a lack of support, recognition, or alignment with
organizational values are more likely to leave (O'Reilly et al., 1991). A positive organizational
culture, characterized by open communication, inclusiveness, and respect, can enhance
employee loyalty and reduce attrition.
- Career Development Opportunities: Employees who perceive limited opportunities for career
growth or professional development may seek new job opportunities where they feel they can
advance. Career advancement and skill development are strong predictors of employee
retention (Morrison, 2003). Organizations that offer training, mentorship, and clear paths for
promotion often experience lower attrition rates.
The broader economic environment and industry-specific conditions can also impact employee
attrition. Economic downturns, for example, may lead to layoffs or reduce the availability of
alternative employment options, resulting in lower attrition rates. Conversely, during periods
of economic growth, employees may have greater opportunities to leave for better positions,
increasing attrition.
Employee attrition has a profound impact on organizations, both financially and in terms of
human capital. The direct costs associated with employee attrition include recruitment,
onboarding, and training of new employees. Indirect costs, however, are equally significant,
including the loss of institutional knowledge, decreased productivity, and the potential impact
on team morale and customer satisfaction.
Costs of Attrition
One of the key costs associated with attrition is the financial burden of replacing employees.
Research by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) suggests that the cost of
replacing an employee can range from 50% to 200% of the employee's annual salary,
depending on the level of the position (SHRM, 2016). These costs include advertising for open
positions, recruitment fees, onboarding programs, and training for new employees.
Employee attrition can also affect organizational performance. Frequent turnover disrupts team
cohesion, negatively impacting productivity and efficiency (Dewitt and Kitzmiller, 2013).
Moreover, high attrition rates may signal underlying issues with management or organizational
culture, potentially damaging the organization’s reputation and its ability to attract top talent.
-Employee Engagement Programs: Research by Harter et al. (2002) emphasizes the importance
of employee engagement in reducing turnover. Engaged employees are more likely to remain
with the organization and contribute to its success. Employee engagement programs that foster
communication, collaboration, and recognition can help improve job satisfaction and reduce
attrition.
- Retention Strategies: A study by Hom and Kinicki (2001) found that organizations that offer
competitive compensation, career development opportunities, and a positive work
environment are more successful in reducing attrition. Employee retention initiatives should
focus on understanding the reasons for employee departure through exit interviews, surveys,
and regular feedback mechanisms.
- Workforce Planning and Flexibility: Flexible work policies and strategies for managing
workforce diversity can improve retention. Providing employees with options like remote
work, flexible hours, or job-sharing opportunities can increase job satisfaction and reduce
voluntary attrition.
OBJECTIVES
1. Identify Causes of Attrition – Understand the key factors contributing to employee turnover,
such as job dissatisfaction, compensation, career growth, and work environment.
2. Predict Future Attrition – Use data-driven models to forecast which employees are at risk of
leaving, helping organizations take proactive measures.
3. Develop Retention Strategies – Design and implement targeted strategies to reduce attrition,
improve employee satisfaction, and enhance organizational stability.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Data Collection
Derive data from the following: HR System, Performance review, Employee Survey, Exit
interviews and many other systems available within the organization’s databases.
About Employees
Record characteristics regarding employees such as age,sex, level of education, marital status of their
job, their title and which section they work for, salary and other privileges offered on the position,
working duration in the firm (total years worked in the firm, total years served in the particular
position, total years served with the immediate supervisor), and the level of
evaluation of their productivity and satisfaction.
keeping records of the employee s attrition which is related to employment will enable the
supervisor to determine whether an employee has actually left the organization (yes or no, and
the associated details of that decision).
Data pre-processing
Preparation for the Data Analysis of the three part course involves unpackaging the data into
analysis friendly structure that contains no errors.
Conformance Data: for purposes of analysis, format errors, inconsistencies, and missing
measurable aspects of the dataset need to be corrected.
Calculate basic data on record such as attrition ratio which depicts and employs a ratio from
the total rate of exits over a given datum period as partial denominator.
Ensure the explanation targets the reasons with highest correlation sensitivity to attrition and
those which would include satisfaction on the job, balance in family and work, chances to
advance to higher positions, and quality of the management. Examining
possible outcomes of relations assumed in the form of a regression graph aided with the use of slope logic
and trees to mark out which employees are bound to exit.
ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS
Figure 1
The bar chart titled "Attrition Rate by Work-Life Balance" presents the relationship between
employees' perception of work-life balance and their likelihood of leaving the company. The chart
categorizes employees into two groups:
● "Yes" (Blue bars): Employees who have left the company (Attrition = Yes).
● "No" (Orange bars): Employees who have remained with the company (Attrition = No).
Key Observations from the Chart:
1. Work-Life Balance Ratings (X-Axis)
o The work-life balance ratings range from 1 to 4.
o A higher rating indicates better perceived work-life balance.
2. Number of Employees (Y-Axis)
o The y-axis represents the count of employees in each category.
3. Distribution by Work-Life Balance Rating
o Rating 1: Very few employees fall under this category. Slightly more employees
stayed than those who left.
o Rating 2: The number of employees is higher compared to rating 1. More employees
stayed, but there is a noticeable number of employees who left.
o Rating 3: This is the most common work-life balance rating. A significantly larger
number of employees remained in the company compared to those who left.
o Rating 4: Fewer employees fall under this category compared to rating 3, but a
noticeable portion stayed with the company.
The bar chart titled "Attrition Rate by Increment Category" presents the relationship between
salary increments (percentage increases in salary) and employee attrition. It classifies employees
into two groups:
● "Yes" (Blue bars): Employees who have left the company (Attrition = Yes).
● "No" (Orange bars): Employees who have remained with the company (Attrition = No).
Y-Axis:
● The y-axis represents the feature importance score assigned by the Random Forest model.
● Higher values indicate more influential features in making predictions.
Key Observations:
1. Most Important Features:
o Monthly Income is the most influential feature, followed by Age and
Overtime_Yes.
o These features have the highest bars, indicating their strong impact on the model.
2. Moderately Important Features:
o Features like Total Working Years, Daily Rate, Hourly Rate, Employee
Number, and Distance from Home have noticeable importance but lower than the
top features
.
3. Less Important Features:
o Features related to specific job roles (e.g., JobRole_Research Director,
JobRole_Manager, JobRole_Human Resources), education fields, and
department names have very low importance.
4. Insights:
o Salary (Monthly Income) and Age play a crucial role in the prediction,
potentially indicating that financial stability and experience are key factors.
o Overtime and Total Working Years are also significant, suggesting that
workload and tenure have a strong impact.
o Demographic and job role-specific features contribute less, meaning the model
relies more on work-related metrics than on specific roles or education
backgrounds.
Figure 4
This figure is a bar chart representing the feature importance values from an XGBoost
model. It shows which features have the most influence in predicting the target variable.
Key observations:
● The most important feature is OverTime_Yes, meaning whether an employee works
overtime significantly impacts the model’s predictions.
● JobRole_Sales Executive and JobLevel are also highly influential features.
● Other important features include MaritalStatus_Single, TotalWorkingYears,
StockOptionLevel, and MonthlyIncome.
● Features like PerformanceRating, EducationField_Other, and JobRole_Research
Director have the least impact in this model.
Overall, this chart helps in understanding which factors contribute most to the model’s decision-
making process.
CONCLUSION
The analysis of the employee attrition dataset reveals several key insights into the factors
contributing to employee turnover.
Key Drivers of Attrition:
● Job Role and Department: Certain job roles (e.g., Sales Representative, Laboratory
Technician) and departments (e.g., Sales, Research & Development) exhibit higher
attrition rates compared to others.
● Compensation: Monthly income and percent salary hike are significant factors.
Employees with lower income or smaller salary increases are more likely to leave.
● Work-Life Balance: Work-life balance plays a crucial role. Employees with lower work-
life balance ratings tend to have higher attrition rates.
● Environment Satisfaction: A lower level of environment satisfaction is associated with
increased attrition.
● Years Since Last Promotion: Employees who have gone longer without a promotion are
more prone to attrition.
Model Performance:
● Machine learning models, including Random Forest and XGBoost, were trained to predict
attrition. These models achieved good accuracy, indicating their ability to identify
potential attrition risks.
Recommendations
Based on the analysis, here are some recommendations for the organization to mitigate employee
attrition:
● Review compensation and benefits packages: Consider offering competitive salaries and
benefits to retain key employees, particularly in high-attrition roles.
● Enhance work-life balance initiatives: Implement flexible work arrangements, reduce
overtime, and promote work-life balance policies to improve employee satisfaction and
retention.
● Improve working environment: Address concerns related to environment satisfaction by
providing a supportive and positive workplace culture.
● Focus on career development: Offer opportunities for career advancement, such as
training and promotion opportunities, to keep employees engaged and motivated.
● Targeted interventions: Utilize the insights from the machine learning models to identify
employees at high risk of attrition and implement proactive measures to address their
concerns and retain them.
Further Investigation
Further analysis could include:
● Deeper investigation of the relationship between specific job roles and attrition.
● Exploring the impact of individual managers on employee turnover.
● Analyzing the effectiveness of existing retention initiatives.
By addressing the key drivers of attrition and implementing proactive retention strategies, the
organization can improve employee satisfaction, reduce turnover, and create a more engaged and
productive workforce.
Model Performance Evaluation: The next step should involve a detailed evaluation of the trained
classification models to determine which one offers the best performance. Metrics like precision,
recall, F1-score, and AUC should be considered in addition to accuracy.
Feature Importance: Analyze the importance of individual features for each model. This can help
identify factors that strongly influence employee attrition and potentially lead to refining the
model.
LIMITATIONS
Challenges and Impact of Employee Attrition Analysis
Employee attrition analysis is a powerful tool for understanding why employees leave, but it
does come with limitations. Recognizing these challenges can help organizations interpret
findings more accurately and take effective action.
Strict regulations and ethical concerns can limit access to detailed employee data, making it
harder to conduct a thorough analysis.
Many insights come from surveys or exit interviews, but these responses can be subjective.
Employees might not always share their true reasons for leaving, which can skew the results.
Employee turnover is often influenced by multiple factors—salary, career growth, work environment,
personal circumstances—making it difficult to pinpoint one single cause.
What holds true for one company or industry might not apply to another. Factors driving
attrition in a tech startup may be very different from those in a manufacturing firm.
Not all HR professionals have experience with data analysis, which can make it challenging to
interpret findings and translate them into actionable strategies.
IMPLICATION
How Employee Attrition Affects Organizations
Higher Costs:
Every time an employee leaves, companies incur costs related to recruiting, onboarding, and
training replacements. There’s also a loss in productivity while the position remains vacant.
Reduced Productivity:
Frequent departures can disrupt workflows, break team cohesion, and slow down projects, leading
to an overall decline in efficiency.
Impact on Company Culture and Morale:
Constant turnover can create uncertainty among employees. If people keep leaving, it can
lower morale and make remaining employees feel disengaged or even consider leaving
themselves.
Loss of Knowledge and Expertise:
Experienced employees take valuable skills and insights with them, which can affect innovation,
decision-making, and long-term business growth.
Reputation Damage:
A company with high attrition may struggle to attract top talent, as frequent turnover can
signal instability or poor employee satisfaction to potential hires.
REFERENCES