revolving door

Related to revolving door: Revolving door syndrome

revolving door

A cycle in which employees do not remain in a position for more than a short amount of time before they leave, thus requiring the position to be filled frequently. Likened to a revolving door in front of a building where people can come and go at the same time. Primarily heard in US. Because public sector jobs typically cannot pay as much as private sector jobs, many positions become revolving doors.
See also: door, revolve
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

the revolving door

1. If you talk about the revolving door of an organization, you mean that the people working in it do not stay there for very long. The revolving door at Wests has only just stopped spinning. A huge turnover of players is usually not the ideal basis for success. For the next 25 years, the company had a revolving door of executives. Note: You can also use revolving-door before a noun. High spending by the country's revolving-door governments swelled the public sector debt.
2. If you talk about the revolving door between two organizations, you mean that people often move from one to the other, and sometimes back again. Mr Smith also spoke of the revolving door for senior civil servants getting jobs in industry connected with their former department. No fewer than 25 aldermen have been convicted of corruption since 1973. In fact, the revolving door between City Hall and jail accounts in part for the Mayor's current political influence.
3. You can use the revolving door to refer to a situation where solutions to problems only last for a short time, and then the same problems occur again. These kids are caught in the revolving door of the justice system, ending up back on the streets after serving time, faced with their old life. Note: You can also use revolving-door before a noun. This is the revolving-door syndrome: no home, no job, no money; hence crime, increasing isolation from society, imprisonment; hence no home on release, and back again to prison.
See also: door, revolve
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
See also:
  • the revolving door
  • elevate
  • elevate (someone or something) to (something)
  • elevate to
  • elevated
  • have (one's) foot on (someone's) neck
  • at the top of the heap
  • a heartbeat away
  • a heartbeat from
  • heartbeat (away) from being (something)
References in periodicals archive
Warren, however, reminded her audience - and the candidate herself - that Clinton has vowed to close the revolving door.
Researchers discovered that two revolving doors at one building could save almost $7,500 yearly in natural gas used to heat and cool, amounting to nearly 15 tons of [CO.sub.2] emissions.
Spokeswoman Karen Marshall said customers found the revolving doors "irritating" because they kept stopping and starting due to a safety device which prevents people getting too close to the glass.
In a study performed at MIT, estimates show that, if everyone at MIT used the revolving doors in one building alone, the school would save almost $7,500 in natural gas, which amounts to nearly 15 tons of C[O.sub.2].
And second, there's often a heap of cash to be made on the private side of that revolving door.
When I arrived at the baggage carousel, there was already another plane load of people standing at the revolving door waiting for it to turn.
"There is a revolving door at Newcastle, but there is no revolving door at the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United.
MANCHESTER City's revolving door is speeding up following the news that Trevor Sinclair will be leaving Eastlands this summer as Michael Ball signs up.
That's rich coming from a club with a revolving door in the manager's office.
Tourlock is a high-security revolving door that can handle 20 persons per minute and eliminates piggybacking and tailgating.
Aside from its more efficient time frame, REA also benefits from a revolving door of stellar guest teachers including Muller herself.
A revolving door is the only building entrance that can be always open and always closed.
And the plans - including skills and training - are seen as a major step forward in the battle to end the "revolving door" syndrome with workers constantly switching between benefits and work.
The reception desk where Jeanne answers phones for Jet Tour sits in plain view of a revolving door that spits visitors in and out of her Paris office building.