Energy Debt Calculator
For HR and people leaders
The costliest problem on your team never shows up on a budget line.
Manager overload drains focus, attendance and retention long before anyone writes it down. The Energy Debt Calculator puts a dollar figure on it — free, in two minutes, before any email.
Example: 120 people → about $1.0M a year modeled. Illustrative example, not a client result.Free Energy Debt Calculator — no email needed
Energy Debt Calculator
Your estimate appears before any form.
- 1Enter your team
- 2See your result
- 3Get your executive package
That's the only number we actually need — everything else is pre-filled.
Adjusts costs to typical pay and turnover in your sector.
Refine assumptions
Assumption level
Live estimate
Type your headcount and your number appears here.
A modeled estimate, not measured savings.
Momentum Leadership · Page 1 of 3
Executive Business Case
Prepared for your organization
Modeled annual cost of manager overload
$0
Planning range $0 – $0. A modeled estimate, not measured savings.
Per employee $0 · 0.0% of modeled payroll · Three-year exposure $0
| Hourly staff | 0 | $0 |
| Salaried staff | 0 | $0 |
| People managers | 0 | $0 |
| Executives | 0 | $0 |
Benchmarks: Martinez et al. (2025), American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Industry and turnover adjustments are Momentum planning inputs.
Page 2 of 3
Energy-First Leadership Pilot Summary
- Four weekly 90-minute facilitated sessions
- Two 20-minute 1:1 coaching calls per manager
- Day-30 and day-60 group check-ins
- Day-0 and day-90 measurement with a comparison group
Deliverables
- Cohort baseline and Energy Leak Maps
- Four facilitated sessions
- 1:1 coaching calls
- Manager toolkit
- Day-30 and day-60 check-ins
- Day-90 scorecard
- Executive results summary
- 6- and 12-month turnover follow-up
Investment
$7,000 per cohort of 6 to 10 managers. Each additional manager is $700, up to 12. Founding cohort rate. For 8 managers: $7,000. Payment: 50% at signing, 50% at the day-30 check-in.
Success criteria
- Manager energy pulse improves versus baseline
- Direct-report behavior rating improves
- Intent to stay holds or improves
- Unplanned absence holds or falls versus the comparison group
- Routine adherence of 70% or more of weeks
4–5 criteria met → scale. 2–3 → adjust and rerun. 0–1 or worse → stop and redesign.
This is a planning summary, not a contract.
Page 3 of 3
Measurement & Governance
| Manager energy pulse | Three questions, 0–10 | Momentum (survey) |
| Manager behavior rating | Five items, 1–5, by direct reports | Momentum (survey) |
| Intent to stay | 1–5 scale | Momentum (survey) |
| Routine adherence | Weekly yes/no on three routines | Managers (self-report) |
| Unplanned absence | Days per employee per quarter | HR (HRIS) |
| Rework and missed deadlines | Count per team per month | Team leads |
| Voluntary turnover | Exits at 6 and 12 months | HR (HRIS) |
- Same cohort for both readings
- Same wording and scale at day 0 and day 90
- Hold role mix constant
- Report a range, not a point
- Team results only when 3+ direct reports respond
- Include everyone who started
A 90-day window catches intent, absence and energy before it catches full replacement cost.
Why this matters
Overloaded managers carry cost across the whole team.
Capacity and performance
When managers run on empty, teams lose focus, output and quality — most of the cost hides in reduced output at work.
Attendance and retention
Overload shows up as unplanned absence and, later, as people deciding to leave.
Work design and leadership
How managers plan, protect and pace work shapes whether energy is spent or replenished.
Research findings are associations, not cause and effect.
“17+ years leading teams. I’ve watched good people quietly check out, and it never once showed up on a budget line. I built the Energy Debt Calculator to put a number on energy debt before it shows up in your attrition report.”
Your plan
Three steps, one page.
- 1
Enter your team
One number: your headcount.
- 2
See your result
A modeled annual cost with a planning range.
- 3
Get your executive package
A three-page PDF to share with your leadership.
Research foundation
Built on published evidence, shown transparently.
Employer-cost benchmark
Per-role annual costs from a 2025 peer-reviewed employer-cost model.
Workplace context
Meta-analytic evidence linking overload to absence, performance and turnover intent.
Transparent estimate
Every assumption is visible and editable, with a planning range rather than a single point.
Sources and methodology
- Martinez et al. (2025), American Journal of Preventive Medicine — PHICOR/CUNY and Johns Hopkins employer-cost model
- Corbeanu et al. (2023) — 45-study meta-analysis of burnout and work outcomes
- World Health Organization — ICD-11 definition of burn-out (QD85)
- CDC / NIOSH — Total Worker Health and workplace stress guidance
Industry and turnover adjustments are Momentum's editable planning inputs, not study findings.
A clear next step
Your three-page executive package
An executive business case with your number, an Energy-First Leadership pilot summary, and a measurement and governance plan — ready to forward.
Common questions
Before you decide
How does the pilot work?
One cohort of 6 to 10 managers for $7,000 (each extra manager $700, up to 12). Half is due at signing and half at day 30. Managers work on practical resets for how they plan, protect and pace work.
Where do these cost figures come from?
Per-role benchmarks from a 2025 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, adjusted by your industry and turnover inputs. Every assumption is visible in the calculator.
Is our data private?
Your number is calculated on the page. No email or sign-up is needed to see it. Details are only saved if you request the executive package.
What happens on the Energy Debt debrief?
A short call to walk through your breakdown and check whether a pilot fits. No obligation.