• 53% of UK professionals have quit a role due to it not matching their expectations.

• 20% have left new positions in the first six months because of a toxic workplace culture.

• While half (52%) identified management issues as a key expectation that fell short.

• Over three-quarters of professionals think their current employer expects too much from them.

• Conversely, two-fifths (42%) of employer’s think their new hires over the last 12 months have fell short of their expectations.

  
  

Over half (53%) of UK professionals have stated that they’ve left a role in the first six months due to it ‘not being what they expected’.

Expectations set too high (75%), an unforeseen heavy workload (23%), issues with management (52%), and workplace culture (20%) are the leading reasons driving new employees away.

The phenomenon – shift shock – refers to the feeling of when a new job is entirely different from how it was advertised during the application process. For instance, if an employer emphasised a healthy workplace environment during the interview phase, but in actuality promotes toxic leaders and unfair working conditions.

According to the new poll from leading talent solutions business Robert Walters – shift shock has been more prevalent in the past two years than ever before – with their new findings revealing a significant number of individuals choosing to move on from positions that do not meet their standards, in spite of the challenging economic climate.

The quick-quitting trend is favoured by professionals unwilling to ‘wait out the year’ or settle in the hopes that a position or workplace begins to feel like a better fit – with one-fifth (20%) stating they’ve left a position due to a toxic workplace culture.

Lucy Bisset, Director of Robert Walters North West comments:

Toxic Managers?

According to the Robert Walters poll, over half (52%) of professionals who quit a position in the first six months of employment stated one of the main reasons for doing so was due to issues with management.

Chartered Management Institute found that professionals who rate their manager as ineffective are +29% more likely to leave their job in the next year than those who say their manager is effective – those with ‘ineffective’ managers are also more likely to feel undervalued, lack motivation, have low job satisfaction, and feel less aligned to company culture. (Source)

Lucy comments: “Effective management is crucial in the onboarding process as it impacts a new hire's comfort, motivation, ambition, and perception of opportunities for growth. If these elements are missing, it can trigger professionals to make an abrupt exit.”

Unrealistic expectations

Three-quarters (75%) of professionals think their employer expects too much from them – with over two-fifths (45%) stating this is a regular occurrence, according to the findings from Robert Walters.

Whilst only a quarter of professionals feel their employers’ expectations of them are ‘fair’.

Censuswide and Visier found that over half of employees in the UK feel overworked by their current employer – with almost a third (30%) stating that their employer had increased their responsibilities outside of their initial role. (source)

Indeed, the Robert Walters poll also found that almost a quarter of professionals stated a key reason they quit a position was due to an unforeseen heavy workload.

Lucy comments: “With job market growth slow, economic inactivity up and costs still being cut it is easy to see how professionals are feeling the pressure."

“Tighter hiring is causing employers to condense roles – this means shifting new responsibilities onto the shoulders of employees without much to alleviate it in the way of a salary bump or bonus. It’s crucial for employers to set clear expectations about workload from the very first interview with a new employee.”

Wasted resources?

On the flip side, of the new hires onboarded in the past 12 months, an equal amount of UK employers surveyed in the poll think their new hires have fallen short of their expectations (42%), compared to those who have met them (43%) – with a minority of only 15% of professionals ‘exceeding’ their expectations.

This isn’t good news considering the average cost to employers of finding, onboarding and training a new employee can be anywhere between six to nine months’ of that roles’ salary – increasing with a role’s seniority. (source)

Lucy comments: “Rehiring for a role poses a considerable cost to employers not only in terms of budget but also in time and company resources."

“Onboarding processes which result in unmet expectations from either the employer or the employee can leave companies with the hard decision of repeating the whole costly process or investing in further training and incentives to try to improve the situation.”

Lucy concludes: "The concept of 'shift shock’ underscores the importance of a mutual understanding and fulfilling of expectations during the hiring process and throughout a professional’s tenure."

“This involves focusing on key elements such as – well-defined roles and responsibilities, clear expectations, screening for culture fit and outlining opportunities of growth to promote a long-term commitment.”