FTE Metrics
Derived triple — effective FTE, cost-per-FTE, and annualized payroll — computed from `hr.payroll_run_rate` + `hr.total_contractors` and a contractor-to-FTE conversion factor. Lets the board see capacity in normalized terms even when the staffing mix shifts. Common pitfall: choosing a contractor-to-FTE factor without explicit board agreement — some companies use 1.0 (1 contractor = 1 FTE for capacity), others use 0.8 (account for ramp / partial-engagement), others use cost-equivalent ratios. Lock the convention. — HR KPI, I'mBoard-authored (editorial tier).
I'mBoard-authored (editorial tier)
No public third-party standard anchors this KPI yet, so I'mBoard authors and maintains the definition — transparently labeled as editorial tier. See the ontology methodology for the published vs editorial tier system and the back-attribution workstream.
Rogue ID: hr.fte_metrics
Type: Text
Domain: HR
Definition
Derived triple — effective FTE, cost-per-FTE, and annualized payroll — computed from hr.payroll_run_rate + hr.total_contractors and a contractor-to-FTE conversion factor. Lets the board see capacity in normalized terms even when the staffing mix shifts. Common pitfall: choosing a contractor-to-FTE factor without explicit board agreement — some companies use 1.0 (1 contractor = 1 FTE for capacity), others use 0.8 (account for ramp / partial-engagement), others use cost-equivalent ratios. Lock the convention.
Formula
effectiveFTE = `hr.total_headcount` + (`hr.total_contractors` × contractorFactor). costPerFTE = `hr.payroll_run_rate` / effectiveFTE. annualizedPayroll = effectiveFTE × costPerFTE. Default contractor factor 0.8 unless the board adopts a different convention.Why it matters
Normalizes capacity and cost across companies with very different contractor strategies, making hr.arr_per_fte and hr.payroll_as_pct_of_burn more comparable over time. Surfaces hidden cost inflation when contractor headcount grows faster than employee headcount.
How to interpret
Watch the drift between hr.total_headcount and effectiveFTE — divergence indicates contractor expansion that may warrant a build-vs-rent conversation. CostPerFTE materially above stage-typical comp benchmarks suggests either a senior-heavy mix or contractor-rate premium creep (industry folk-wisdom, not citation-grade — varies by geography and role mix).
Related KPIs
hr.total_headcounthr.total_contractorshr.payroll_run_ratehr.arr_per_ftehr.payroll_as_pct_of_burn
Source
I'mBoard editorial — authored and maintained by I'mBoard, first published 2026-04-01. No third-party standard is cited for this KPI; when one emerges, the definition is back-attributed and promoted to the published tier (a minor version bump). Read the ontology methodology for the published vs editorial tier system, attribution rules, and dispute process.
Stage relevance
| Company stage | Priority |
|---|---|
| Series A | Recommended |
| Series B | Recommended |
| Series C+ | Recommended |
| Public | Recommended |
Suggested for stages: Series A, Series B, Series C+, Public.
Default owning functions
- HR
- Finance
Machine-readable
- This KPI as JSON:
/api/ontology/hr/fte_metrics.json - All HR KPIs:
/api/ontology/hr.json - Full catalog:
/api/ontology/index.json
HR Executive Commentary
Stacked commentary editor with per-section icon and live word count, hosting the four canonical HR narrative slots (talent highlights, talent challenges, hiring plan, retention initiatives) under a single base path — each section persists under `<basePath>.<sectionKey>`. The composite container for the narrative side of the HR scorecard, paired with `hr.departments` and `hr.risk_items` for the structured side. Common pitfall: writing each section in isolation — strong commentary cross-references the numbers ("voluntary turnover up 4 points QoQ, here is what we are doing"). — HR KPI, I'mBoard-authored (editorial tier).
Net Headcount Change
Net change in employee headcount during the period — new hires minus (voluntary exits + terminations). The bottom-line growth-or-contraction number on the HR scorecard. Common pitfall: reporting net change without showing the gross-in / gross-out components — boards can't diagnose a flat net number caused by 5 hires and 5 exits the same way they'd diagnose a flat number from zero on each side. Best practice is to surface the four components (new hires, voluntary exits, terminations, net change) together. — HR KPI, I'mBoard-authored (editorial tier).