Does this workplace sound unusually high turnover or am I overthinking it?

[Mrswongawonga]

I started a job a year ago after being made redundant. I was warned by an exiting employee who I was mentoring that many staff had joined but left in her short tenure there. There was a girl who was really quiet when I joined who subsequently exited the company rather sharply in the US. Another person joined in the US and now they have gone rather sharply less than 6 months later. About a month ago I’d been told that even though I had little work but on an initiative I need to produce results (or this was more or less what happened) as they’d had staff before who’d done nothing and were let go. I was taken aback by this conversation and even though they said it wasn’t a threat it sure felt like one. I’ve started looking for other jobs as I don’t like the vibe that you could put one step wrong and be exited. I was given an exceeds for probation and end of year review but I can’t understand how they expect to get a settled team if keen to get rid!!

Do you have documented and defined targets or KPI (Key Performance Indicators) OP? And do you have enough work to fulfil them? It's hard to say what they might be as I don't know your role, but they should say what you need to do and by when. e.g. if you are a project manager "“Deliver 95% of assigned projects on time and within ±5% of the approved budget by the end of Q4 2026.” You should know whether or not you are meeting those targets by measurements/data.

OP, follow your instincts. A high turnover plus an odd vibe and a veiled threat would definitely make me consider leaving this job.

Yeah my colleague was laid off just there on 1 May 2026 so there was something v odd going on and felt I was probably being discussed in hindsight. Obvs a stay of execution for now but looking for other jobs now for sure! Still it’s a tough world for looking for jobs.