More than half of UK professionals are quitting new roles because they do not meet their expectations, new research has revealed.

In a survey by Robert Walters, 53% of workers admitted leaving a job within the first six months because of “shift shock” – a belief that the position is completely different to how it was advertised when they applied.

According to the recruitment specialist, shift shock has become more common in the past two years despite the challenging economic climate, with its latest findings suggesting that a large number of employees are prepared to quit if a position doesn’t meet their standards.

The study also showed a similar percentage (52%) blamed an issue with management for leaving a post within the first six months, while a toxic workplace culture was the reason one in five (20%) had done so.

Lucy Bisset, director of Robert Walters North West, said: “Shift shock has been around for a while but our data shows that even in less than favourable economic conditions, many professionals still aren’t willing to settle for a position that doesn’t work for them as well.”

One in three respondents (75%) believe their employers’ expectations are set too high and nearly one in four (23%) highlight an unforeseen heavy workload (23%).

Bisset added: “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.”

Among the employers surveyed, two-fifths (42%) believe their new recruits in the past 12 months have failed to meet their expectations. A slightly greater percentage (43%) believe they have met them, while only a minority (15%) of new joiners have exceeded their expectations.

According to Robert Walters, this is bad news for organisations since the average cost of finding, onboarding and training an employee can be around six to nine months of the role’s salary. It also warned that rehiring costs for an employer can be worse when taking into account the time and resources needed.

Bisset explained that onboarding processes which result in unmet expectations on either the employer or the employee side can leave companies with a tough decision about whether to repeat the whole costly process or try to improve the situation by investing in more training and incentives.

She concluded: “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.”

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