Absence Rates Workload (Team) Calculator
Estimate your team’s available working capacity after absences and identify any workload shortfall or additional staffing need.
Overview
Use this team absence workload calculator to estimate how much working capacity remains after expected absences. Enter the team size, working days, daily hours, absence rate, and planned workload to see whether the team has enough available hours to deliver the work.
How it works
The calculator first multiplies team size by working days and daily hours to find scheduled team hours. It then subtracts the selected percentage for expected absences. The remaining hours are compared with the planned workload. If planned work is greater than available capacity, the difference is shown as a shortfall and converted into an estimated full-time-equivalent staffing requirement for the period.
How to use this calculator
- 1Enter the number of people in the team.
- 2Add the number of working days in your planning period.
- 3Enter the average working hours per person per day.
- 4Enter the expected absence rate as a percentage of scheduled time.
- 5Add the total workload hours planned for the same period.
- 6Review the available capacity, workload shortfall, and additional staffing estimate.
Example Calculation
Team size
10
Working days in period
22
Working hours per person per day
8
Expected absence rate
6%
Planned workload
1750
Available team capacity
1,654.4 hours
A team of 10 scheduled for 22 eight-hour days has 1,760 scheduled hours. With a 6% absence rate, estimated capacity is 1,654.4 hours, leaving a 95.6-hour shortfall for a 1,750-hour workload, or about 0.54 additional FTE for the month.
Frequently asked questions
What is an absence rate in workforce planning?
An absence rate is the percentage of scheduled work time expected to be unavailable because of sickness, annual leave, training, caring responsibilities, or other absences.
How is available team capacity calculated?
Available capacity equals team size multiplied by working days and hours per day, less the hours estimated to be lost through absences.
What does additional FTE mean?
Additional FTE is the workload shortfall converted into the equivalent number of full-time staff needed for the selected period. It can represent temporary cover, overtime, redistribution, or extra hiring capacity.
What does capacity utilisation above 100% mean?
A figure above 100% means planned work is greater than estimated available capacity. For example, 110% means the plan requires 10% more capacity than is available.
Should annual leave be included in the absence rate?
Include annual leave if it is not already removed from your working-day or workload assumptions. Use a consistent approach so the same lost time is not counted twice.
Does this calculator account for different roles or skill levels?
No. It treats all team hours as interchangeable. For teams with specialist roles, run separate calculations for each role or skill group.
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Assumptions and warnings
Assumptions
- The absence rate applies evenly across the selected planning period.
- Each team member is assumed to work the same number of hours per day.
- All available hours are treated as usable for the planned workload.
- The staffing result is expressed as an average full-time-equivalent requirement, not a shift-by-shift rota.
- Results are planning estimates and do not account for differences in skills, schedules, or productivity.
Warnings
- This calculator provides a workforce planning estimate only. Actual coverage may vary by role, shift pattern, skills, and the timing of absences.