History Main / HighTurnoverRate

* In ''VideoGame/Warhammer40000RogueTrader'', your flagship has nearly thirty thousand RedShirts and their families living, working, and dying on it every day. After [[YouAreInCommandNow assuming command following your predecessor's death]] in an attack by [[ReligionOfEvil Chaos worshippers]], part of Chapter 1 involves replenishing your staff after thousands of them were killed. Even after this, your crewmen dying in horrible ways becomes a semi-regular occurrence due to HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace, {{Space Battle}}s, or incidents with [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits your morally dubious companions]].

*** The WAC merged its football league with that of the ASUN Conference, forming a new entity known as the United Athletic Conference. The ASUN and WAC had established a football-only partnership in 2021; while both had their own conference schedules in 2022, they kept that partnership active. In both seasons, the WAC–ASUN partnership had a single automatic berth in the FCS playoffs.

* The position of Levia's prison warden in ''VideoGame/{{Echocalypse}}'' is notorious for this. The longest anyone's lasted as her warden is three months, because she's a ManipulativeBastard who loves to mess with her wardens until they crack, knowing that she'll get a new "doll" soon enough and implies that she could leave any time she wanted.

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In some cases, the difficulty isn't with the job itself, but with the [[BadBoss viciousness]] and/or [[PointyHairedBoss stupidity]] of the boss. This may cause the character to be [[GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity fired]] or even [[YouHaveFailedMe killed]] for failing to satisfy the boss' unreasonable demands.

Usually the "no one can hack it" circumstances are shown by a montage of characters of different types attempting the task before leaving. Some of these may be [[ShoutOut Shout Outs]] to recognisable characters who would be good at the task in hand... but not quite good enough.

This is commonly used for nannies, teachers or babysitters to [[BabysittersNightmare unruly children]], to show how horrible the children are. Alternatively, it's the secretary to an utterly unreasonable boss. This is a common set up (or sometimes reveal) for a NewJobEpisode, showing the previous failures at the task, warning the characters of the horror they face.

* ''Film/MenInBlack'': it's implied that no-one stays K's partner for long, which is why he spends the first movie training J as a ''replacement'', who neuralizes him the same way K did his last partner at the start of the movie. By ''II'', a dissatisfied J has started dismissing and neuralizing his own partners so quickly the boss is getting annoyed.

* ''Series/TheSopranos'': The head (''caporegime'') of the "Aprile" crew changes many times through the course of the series, to the point that many mobsters believe it to be cursed (a more realistic interpretation might be that due to the Esplanade construction business, whoever runs that crew is the biggest earner in the family by default, which naturally invites conflict with others [[TheStarscream coveting for the position]] as well as with Tony himself because of the latter's greed and [[DudeWheresMyRespect ungratefulness]]). It starts out under Richie Aprile, who is shot and killed by Janice in a [[DomesticAbuse domestic argument]]. Gigi Cestone is put in charge by Tony, but he unexpectedly dies of a heart attack [[TheCanKickedHim while on the toilet]]. Ralphie Cifaretto succeeds him, who lasts quite a while (against all odds, since Ralphie is a coked-up {{Jerkass}} who makes a lot of enemies) before Tony finally murders him over a dead horse. His underling Vito Spatafore replaces him, but is later outed as a homosexual and [[HomophobicHateCrime viciously murdered]] by another Mafia family for it. Tony puts in Carlo Gervasi to replace him, but he disappears in the GrandFinale when it turns out he became a [[MoleInCharge federal witness]]. Tony finally offers the job to Paulie, who strongly rebuffs him because of the curse before reluctantly agreeing to head what remains of the crew--by that point the entire crime family is on its last legs already due to a MobWar.

* The ''Franchise/JurassicPark''/''Franchise/JurassicWorld'' franchises can be resumed in a single question Owen ask to a new employee: "You ever wonder why there was a job opening?"...just after the poor dude is almost turned into raptor snack...

** An extreme example of this coaching turnover took place in Arkansas State football in the [[TheNewTens 2010s]]:

*** 2011: The Red Wolves dramatically improve, winning the Sun Belt Conference title and finishing the regular season 10–2. Freeze then takes the head coaching job at Ole Miss, taking four assistants with him. They lose their bowl game under an interim head coach (one of the assistants who stayed on).

* ''Series/TheSopranos'': The head (''caporegime'') of the "Aprile" crew changes many times through the course of the series, to the point that many mobsters believe it to be cursed (a more realistic interpretation might be that due to the Esplanade construction business, whoever runs that crew is the biggest earner in the family by default, which naturally invites conflict with others [[TheStarscream coveting for the position]] as well as with Tony himself because of the latter's greed and [[DudeWheresMyRespect ungratefulness]]). It starts out under Richie Aprile, who is shot and killed by Janice in a [[DomesticAbuse domestic argument]]. Gigi Cestone is put in charge by Tony, but he unexpectedly dies of a heart attack [[TheCanKickedHim while on the toilet]]. Ralphie Cifaretto succeeds him, who lasts quite a while (against all odds, since Ralphie is a coked-up {{Jerkass}} who makes a lot of enemies) before Tony finally murders him over a dead horse. His underling Vito Spatafore replaces him, but is later outed as a homosexual and [[HomophobicHateCrime viciously murdered]] by another Mafia family for it. Tony puts Carlo Gervasi in to replace him, but he disappears in the GrandFinale when it turns out he became a [[MoleInCharge federal witness]]. Tony finally offers the job to Paulie, who strongly rebuffs him because of the curse before reluctantly agreeing to head what remains of the crew--by that point the entire crime family is on its last legs already due to a MobWar.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Anathema}}'' it's entirely possible for a player's shroud to succumb to despair and suffer annihilation within a few hours of their creation, if they aren't careful. No one ever said that culling the human population was an easy job.

* ''Series/TheSopranos'': The head (''caporegime'') of the "Aprile" crew changes many times through the course of the series, to the point that many mobsters believe it to be cursed (a more realistic intepretation might be that due to the Esplanade construction business, whoever runs that crew is the biggest earner in the family by default, which naturally invites conflict with others [[TheStarscream coveting for the position]] as well as with Tony himself because of the latter's greed and [[DudeWheresMyRespect ungratefulness]]). It starts out under Richie Aprile, who is shot and killed by Janice in a [[DomesticAbuse domestic argument]]. Gigi Cestone is put in charge by Tony, but he unexpectedly dies of a heart attack [[TheCanKickedHim while on the toilet]]. Ralphie Cifaretto succeeds him, who lasts quite a while (against all odds, since Ralphie is a coked-up {{Jerkass}} who makes a lot of enemies) before Tony finally murders him over a dead horse. His underling Vito Spatafore replaces him, but is later outed as a homosexual and [[HomophobicHateCrime viciously murdered]] by another Mafia family for it. Tony puts Carlo Gervasi in to replace him, but he disappears in the GrandFinale when it turns out he became a [[MoleInCharge federal witness]]. Tony finally offers the job to Paulie, who strongly rebuffs him because of the curse before reluctantly agreeing to head what remains of the crew--by that point the entire crime family is on its last legs already due to a MobWar.

* ''Series/TheSopranos'': The head (''caporegime'') of the "Aprile" crew changes many times through the course of the series, to the point that many mobsters believe it to be cursed. It starts out under Richie Aprile, who is shot and killed by Janice in a [[DomesticAbuse domestic argument]]. Gigi Cestone is put in charge by Tony, but he unexpectedly dies of a heart attack [[TheCanKickedHim while on the toilet]]. Ralphie Cifaretto succeeds him, who lasts quite a while before Tony murders him over a dead horse. His underling Vito Spatafore replaces him, but is later outed as a homosexual and [[HomophobicHateCrime viciously murdered]] by another Mafia family for it. Tony puts Carlo Gervasi in to replace him, but he disappears in the GrandFinale when it turns out he became a [[MoleInCharge federal witness]]. Tony finally offers the job to Paulie, who strongly rebuffs him because of the curse before reluctantly agreeing to head what remains of the crew--by that point the entire crime family is on its last legs already due to a MobWar.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': The small council and the office of Hand in particular become this during the series after nearly two decades of relative stability.
* ''Series/GilmoreGirls'': RunningGag: Lorelai's mom Emily can't keep a maid because she has such strict guidelines on how she wants things to be done. Either they fail to live up to her standards and are fired, or they reach their limit for abuse and quit.

* ''Series/ThePrisoner1967'': Sometimes a mysterious overlord changes the local boss if they [[YouHaveFailedMe fail in their objective]]. For instance, this show: there is often a new Number Two, because the last one failed to break Number Six.
* ''Series/PicketFences'': Mayors in this show either died, or were involved in a scandal of some sort.
* ''Series/{{Merlin 1998}}'': King Vortigern's architects are frequently imprisoned or executed for destructive errors in the construction of Vortigern's "impregnable" castle; the final architect is given a lenient sentence of unemployment, and told to leave before Vortigern changes his mind. Somewhat justified; none of them noticed the incredibly obvious ''stream'' running out of the hill under the walls which Merlin spots instantly, and the resulting collapses killed many workers. Likewise, the Royal Soothsayer seen in the film is the third employed that month, and he meets a similar fate as the final architect: [[LampshadeHanging Merlin himself notes]] that the King seems to get through them at an alarming rate, only for the Soothsayer to remark, "He gets through ''everything'' at an alarming rate."
* ''Series/MurphyBrown'':
** As Dan Quayle is well aware, the title character is a single mother, but beyond that, she can't get a decent secretary and has to keep firing them. Except one, Carol, who is perfect, she's the best one in the world. She's so good, her former boss, Creator/BobNewhart, comes on the show and begs her to come back to him and Jerry. (Of course he'd need to have her back, he was never running a bed-and-breakfast in Vermont, the whole show was AllJustADream and he was still a psychologist in Chicago.)
** In the last season, Murphy has to stand before a JokerJury made up of all her fired secretaries. After Murphy gives her ReasonYouSuckSpeech and they let her go, she meets up with one secretary who had perfect qualifications and no trouble with the job whatsoever. Murphy can not remember firing her.

* ''Series/TwentyFour'': Milks this trope, particularly in the arena of who will be the president in any given stretch of episodes and the high mortality rate of Jack's bosses. The number of the latter is debatable depending on who all you count as being is boss (i.e. all direct superiors or just agency directors?) but there are no fewer than 6 people that have been presidents in 24's 8 seasons. The number rockets to 9 if you include whoever was president in season 1, Logan's vice president taking over when he resigns and take President Taylor's resignation in the series finale into account.
** It's a wonder this universe's version of the United States can keep it together at all. The series takes place over about 14 years, that's 9 presidents spread out over about three presidential terms worth of time. '''Holy shit!'''

* ''Series/LasVegas'': Montecito owners are usually killed or bought out, with the notable exception of [[spoiler:Sam Marquez]] and outright subversion of [[spoiler:AJ Cooper]].
* ''Series/TheInspectorLynleyMysteries'': When the main characters, DI Tommy Lynley and DS Barbara Havers, are initially paired together, all of Scotland Yard starts betting on how long the partnership will take to implode, as neither of them can keep partners for very long (he's a [[InsufferableGenius smug asshole]], she [[HairTriggerTemper has a temper]] that [[HotBlooded makes Guy Fawkes Night]] [[{{Tsundere}} pale into insignificance]]). Nobody gives them more than thirty days. By episode three, Barbara flatly declares to Lynley that "[[UndyingLoyalty You resign]], [[TrueCompanions I resign]]." Seven series later, the two are [[TheNotLoveInterest going strong]] with no signs of slowing down, although there's still [[VitriolicBestBuds plenty of bickering to be had]].
* ''Series/DeadliestCatch'': It's been stated that 80-90% of greenhorns on Alaskan crab boats last less than a year after they're first hired. If a crabbing vessel needs to fill a vacant position for whatever reason, one can expect them to go through several failed candidates before finding a suitable one.
* ''Series/CriminalMinds'': While the [=BAU=] team has otherwise remained consistently the same for 10 years (other than Gideon's replacement by Rossi in Season 2 and J.J.'s TenMinuteRetirement in Season 6), the 7th member slot has had a consistently high turnover rate, especially in the last few seasons. The position was first held by Elle Greenaway in Season 1, then by Emily Prentiss in Season 2 to 5 and 7, then by Ashley Seaver in Season 6, then by Dr. Alex Blake in Season 8 and 9, Kate Callahan in Season 10 and most recently by Dr. Tara Lewis in Season 11. If you go by Harry Potter logic, you might think that Elle, the first person to hold the position, put a jinx on it when she left by [[spoiler: performing a vigilante execution of a serial rapist]].
* On ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' mayors of Starling City do not have a long life expectancy. By the start of season 4 no one wants to run for the position and the city is run by a council of senior city officials, none of whom are willing to accept the title of Acting Mayor. Even that does not help and most of them are soon killed.

* While the main cast of ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' lasts for years without changes, episodes in which replacements are necessary generally feature references or montages that it takes a while to find agents who are willing to put up with Gibbs (or vice versa) for more than a week.
* ''Series/{{Cheers}}'': The Lillian Corporation, who own Cheers between series 6 and 8, seem to go through executives like toilet paper, to the extent that Rebecca, an ExtremeDoormat to any superior that comes along, has become utterly sick and jaded halfway through series 7.
* ''Series/WhatWeDoInTheShadows2019'': Nadja and Lazlo's [[TheRenfield familiars]] regularly die in bizarre, ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes''-esque accidents, forcing them to constantly find new ones and causing Nandor's own familiar Guillermo to be even more overworked. Partway into season two they try to put a stop to the cycle by getting their most recent dead familiar revived as a VoodooZombie. It... [[CameBackWrong doesn't go well]].

* ''Series/{{Oz}}'':
** Schillinger goes through numerous [[TheDragon Dragons]] over the course of the series, almost all of whom wind up dying horribly. The only exception, Robson, is instead "only" put through a HumiliationConga that ends with him being kicked out of the Aryan Brotherhood.
** Similarly, whoever is the leader of the Homeboys seems to wind up dying one way or another. The only exception is Redding, though not for lack of trying.
* ''Series/TheSopranos'': The head (''caporegime'') of the "Aprile" crew changes many times through the course of the series, to the point that many mobsters believe it to be cursed. It starts out under Richie Aprile, who is shot and killed by Janice in a [[DomesticAbuse domestic argument]]. Gigi Cestone is put in charge by Tony, but he unexpectedly dies of a heart attack [[TheCanKickedHim while on the toilet]]. Ralphie Cifaretto succeeds him, who lasts quite a while before Tony murders him over a dead horse. His underling Vito Spatafore replaces him, but is later outed as a homosexual and [[HomophobicHateCrime viciously murdered]] by another Mafia family for it. Tony puts Carlo Gervasi in to replace him, but he disappears in the GrandFinale when it turns out he became a [[MoleInCharge federal witness]]. Tony finally offers the job to Paulie, who strongly rebuffs him because of the curse before reluctantly agreeing to head what remains of the crew--by that point the entire crime family is on its last legs already due to a MobWar.

** Mrs. Blankenship: Dies of natural causes.

There's a job opening, and the position looks very desirable, at least on paper. But it's hard. So hard, that no one lasts long. Many quit before the day is over. Many quit without waiting to take the money. Many quit while screaming, without looking where they were going as they fled, and were only seen again muttering about "Twenty bucks an hour" [[MadnessMantra over and over and over again]]. In some cases, they never even got a chance to quit, and instead died in [[TheCoronerDothProtestTooMuch a suspicious accident]] or, in especially dangerous jobs (such as "TheSheriff of a lawless Wild West town"), the line of duty.

* The infamous Defense Against the Dark Arts post at Hogwarts in the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' novels. Which was [[AWizardDidIt literally jinxed]] [[spoiler:by [[BigBad Voldemort]] when he was refused the job]], and as a result, no single instructor in the position lasted more than a year. It's not explained how Voldemort did this, or why Dumbledore didn't abolish the post and replace it with something non-cursed, or at least find a Curse Breaker. [[spoiler:Following Voldemort's death, however, the jinx on the position is lifted and there is now a permanent DADA instructor at Hogwarts.]] The seven that we see during the books:
** ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'': Quirinius Quirrell [[spoiler:turns out to be a host for Voldemort]].
** ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'': Gilderoy Lockhart [[spoiler:turns out to be a coward who's only good at Memory charms and, while attempting to erase Harry and Ron's memories, accidentally Obliviates himself with Ron's broken wand, rendering him amnesiac]].
** ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban'': Remus Lupin [[spoiler:is forced to leave in disgrace after it becomes public that he's a werewolf thanks to Snape]].
** ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'': Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody [[spoiler:is actually Barty Crouch, Jr. using Polyjuice Potion and was later fell victim to the Dementor's Kiss]].
** ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'': Dolores Jane Umbridge [[spoiler:is abducted by the centaurs after alienating the student body with her tyrannical rule]].
** ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'': Severus Snape [[spoiler:becomes Headmaster after murdering Dumbledore in an assisted suicide]].
** ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'': Amycus Carrow [[spoiler:is a Death Eater installed by Voldemort in the school]].
* ''Literature/LittleHouseOnThePrairie'': Almanzo's school has gone through several teachers in ''Farmer Boy'' because a gang of older boys comes every winter to beat them up. No teacher has ever finished a winter term, and at least one was beaten so badly he died of it later. Everyone expects the same thing to happen to nice, young Mr. Corse, until he uses a blacksnake whip to drive them off.
* The ''Literature/InDeath'' series: ''Portrait in Death'' has Eve and Peabody question a photographer named Dirk Hastings about some murders. Hastings has this sort of situation, because he is apparently such a tyrant and {{Jerkass}} that he scares off a lot of young assistants. He even says that he goes through assistants like toilet paper, and consequently has a hard time remembering them!
* In Creator/DianaWynneJones's ''Literature/TheLivesOfChristopherChant'', Christopher goes through a long string of governesses; in this case, however, they have no trouble with Christopher himself, but rather can't tolerate the stormy relationship between his parents.
* Jumpers from Literature/TheSiranthaJaxSeries. Jumpers are people born with the "J-Gene", which allows them to safely navigate ships during [[FasterThanLightTravel grimspace jumps]] (people without the J-Gene can't perceive the beacons left behind by [[{{Precursors}} The Makers]] while in grimspace, and thus would likely be lost forever). The problem comes from the fact that grimspace travel is like an addictive drug for Jumpers, causing them to experience orgasmic euphoria when jumping. Not only can this have severe psychological effects, but it can also cause brain lesions to form, which results in Jumpers eventually making a jump and coming out of it brain dead. This is called "navigator burnout syndrome" and means that Jumpers rarely live past 30, being constantly replaced; even individual ships will frequently go through multiple Jumpers throughout their active service.
* The office of Hand to the King in Creator/GeorgeRRMartin's ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has seen several characters take the office. It is officially the NumberTwo to the King and is essentially the same as "Prime Minister" or Grand Vizier, with the expectation they serve as TheGoodChancellor to TheGoodKing. Since good kings are in short supply during the War of the Five Kings, a lot of different people give the post the old college try. Three of them ([[spoiler:Jon Arryn, Ned Stark, Tywin Lannister]]) get killed on the job for political and/or other complicated reasons. One of them, Tyrion Lannister, proved to be more than competent, but was overwhelmed by his own family and the foreground bigotry for being a dwarf and when Cersei Lannister becomes RegentForLife, she fills it with [[YesMan Yes-Men]] with predictable results. According to Jaime, the turnover of Hands was worse under [[TheCaligula Mad King Aerys]] due to his [[YouHaveFailedMe tendency to execute people who displeased him]], to the point where he didn't bother learning the ''names'' of most of them, and thought of them by their coats of arms.

* All organizations have turnover. If for no other reason, that people grow old and retire. So, a certain amount of turnover is to be expected. The critical thing to monitor is what percentage of an organization’s total headcount leave and are replaced during a given period of time. It is a general rule that a turnover percentage of 25% or lower is healthy. Anything higher than that and the organization is deemed to have a retention problem that can affect productivity.

This is commonly used for nannies, teachers or babysitters to unruly children, to show how horrible the children are. Alternatively, it's the secretary to an utterly unreasonable boss. This is a common set up (or sometimes reveal) for a NewJobEpisode, showing the previous failures at the task, warning the characters of the horror they face.

* The ''Franchise/JurassicPark''/''Franchise/JurassicWorld'' can be resumed in a single question Owen ask to a new employee: "You ever wonder why there was a job opening?"...just after the poor dude is almost turned into raptor snack...

* This a sadly common happening in the ''Franchise/JurassicPark''/''Franchise/JurassicWorld''...which can be resumed in Owen asking a new employee: "You ever wonder why there was a job opening?"

** 2021: Four Texas schools joined: Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston[[labelnote:*]]the other Texas school that recently dropped "State" from its athletic identity[[/labelnote]], and Stephen F. Austin[[labelnote:*]]which dropped "State" from its athletic identity long before Sam Houston and Tarleton[[/labelnote]]. They had been set to join in 2022, but their arrival was accelerated when their prior home of the Southland Conference expelled them. The WAC also revived its football league, though at the FCS level instead of FBS.[[note]]Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, and Jacksonville State joined for football only at that time to give the new WAC enough football teams for an automatic berth in the FCS playoffs. With those schools' full-time home of the ASUN Conference starting its own FCS football league in 2022, they left to align fully with that league... though Jacksonville State will leave FCS entirely to join C-USA in 2023.[[/note]]

*** New Mexico State and Sam Houston will leave to join C-USA.
*** The WAC will merge its football league with that of the ASUN Conference, forming a new entity that eventually called itself the United Athletic Conference. The two all-sports leagues had established a football-only partnership in 2021; while both had their own conference schedules in 2022, they kept that partnership active. In both seasons, the WAC–ASUN partnership had a single automatic berth in the FCS playoffs.