How To Spot A Toxic Workplace (Part 2)

How To Spot A Toxic Workplace (Part 2)

By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

You can read Part 1 here

Poor Communication

Poor communication on the part of the hiring manager could mean they don’t care about your concerns or they are toxic. At the end of the day, an interviewer has to care about their employees and want to make their work lives better. If they don’t, then it’s a red flag. If you notice that your interviewer isn’t really listening to you and doesn’t care about your concerns, then your BS detector should go off alert you to a potential problem. If the interviewer is bad overall at communicating with you, there’s a chance that the employees who work for them are in a similarly toxic situation. It won’t be any different with you.

No Growth Opportunities

If an interviewer is promising you the world in terms of benefits, salary, and other perks, but there are no growth opportunities, then something might be wrong. Growth opportunities are important because they show that the company wants to invest in its employees and that they want to keep its people happy. Without any growth opportunities, you don’t have much of a reason to stay at a company very long. Career advancement is important. After all, if there are no advancement opportunities, then you will be expected to do the same work for them FOREVER. That isn’t what most people want. Remember, career advancement opportunities don’t have to be management-related, either. They can be opportunities to learn new things and use that training in your work.

Unhealthy Workplace Culture

Toxic workplace culture can be seen in some of the previous red flags but is worthy of its own section. An interviewer who is toxic may want you to sign a non-disclosure agreement before you begin interviewing without providing an explanation as to why. Prematurely having to sign an NDA, they are hiding something negative. If the interviewer is trying to convince you to sign an NDA, don’t do it. You are interviewing for a job, not joining a cult.

Excessive Micromanagement

Excessive micromanagement can lead to poor work quality, low morale, high turnover, and a toxic workplace. But, what does excessive micromanagement look like? How can you spot it during an interview? Excessive micromanagement is when your interviewer is overly specific in what you should do and how you should do it. You’re not given any freedom to make your own decisions and to problem-solve. Excessive micromanagement robs people of their creativity and freedom to make their own decisions. When hiring managers are being too specific, ask if you can make decisions on your own without their permission.

Unreasonable Expectations

When an interviewer is promising you the world, but they also has unreasonable expectations of you, you need to run. Expectations are important because they let you know what your employer expects of you. Some expectations are more reasonable than others. If your interviewer is promising you the world, but they also has unreasonable expectations for you, then your work life will be a living hell. It’s important that you find out what the expectations are before accepting the job. If your interviewer is promising you the world but also has unreasonable expectations for you, ask what the expectations are. Ask them, “Let’s say you hire me and I come on board, what would your expectations of me be for the first 30, 60, 90 days?” Almost every hiring manager can answer that question. Follow it up with, “Let’s say I come on board, it’s a year later and you are thrilled with the decision you made to hire me. What will I have accomplished that will make you think that way?” The answers to these questions will tell you a lot about their expectations.

Use LinkedIn to Test What You Are Told

Lisa Rangel of Chameleon Resumes suggests searching on LinkedIn and Googling the title and company to see how many people have held that position before. See what jobs they went to after holding that role. Consider reaching out to them and learn what they liked and found most intolerable. Assess what’s tolerable and what’s intolerable. Notice how long they held the position to see if it was a lengthy employment opportunity or not. Many people turning over in a short period of time should be a signal to you. After all, why should it be any different for you?

The Bottom line

If you notice any of these red flags during your interview, it’s a good idea to walk away. Yet Terrence Seamon of Smart Moves Coaching points out, “How dysfunctional an organization may be is in the eye of the beholder. We each have our own threshold for what we will put up with. When talking with people who work there, keep a grain of salt handy. Talk to recruiters who are knowledgeable about the industry in question.“ There are plenty of other companies out there that won’t abuse you because that is what happens in toxic environments.

When changing jobs, unlike what mutual funds use as a disclaimer, past performance does indicate future behavior. Environments will win and grind you down. They will not change because one person joined who does not possess the institutional authority to make changes. Very few of you will join at a level to affect the change needed. They think this way is good. They are not prepared to change, even if they tell you they are. That’s because institutional friction has interfered with your predecessors’ making changes. It won’t be any different for you.