New Workers Scratch ‘Seven-Month Itch’ to Leave

Morale Busters, Boosters: Nearly 80 percent of newly hired employees are ready to leave the job within their first seven months, a study says. But a trip to a local watering hole may be enough to keep them around. Recruiting consultancy Office Angels interviewed about 1,400 new recruits to gather the information. The first seven months are viewed as a trial period in which “the workplace, not the worker” is the subject. If the boss is lackluster, or if mentoring opportunities don’t emerge, new workers say they are more likely to move on. Likewise, the first seven months is enough time for a person to judge whether a new job accommodates their lifestyle. Equally important is camaraderie among co-workers, with a “trip to the pub with colleagues” considered an essential bonding exercise for 77 percent of respondents.