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Abstract

vity with desk time. If anything, I’ve noticed that I’m far more productive when I can choose my environment and get to work when I’m the sharpest, which is usually bright and early.</p><p id="3cd9">The problem arises when your workplace still places value on desk time. They’re effectively telling you that appearances are more important than actual output or merit. Beyond being an issue in and of itself, that kind of message can wreak havoc on the social structure and internal politics of the company — from backstabbing to toxic competition to the quick erosion of work/life balance.</p><h1 id="839a">Red flag 4: There’s a lot of busywork</h1><p id="2b04">If an employer hires you, it’s expected that they actually have work for you to do. That may not always be true in the beginning, when you’re just trying to orient yourself to a new place and new procedures, but it shouldn’t be long before you’re a contributing member of the team.</p><p id="935a">The problem arises when your employer genuinely does not have enough for you to do. I’ve been there many times — but the key distinguishing feature between a good workplace and a potentially toxic one is that one employer will let you do what you will with your unscheduled time. In contrast, the other will invent tasks that may only be related to your actual job duties by the thinnest of threads. At good workplaces, I’ve used the unscheduled time to take quick walks, have lunch with friends, read a few chapters of a book, or brainstorm new work projects, all of which help me recharge so I can be a better employee. When a workplace keeps inventing tasks for you, that could mean they don’t trust you to be a responsible steward of your own time or that they’re testing you to see how you react. Either way, that kind of treatment gets old fast.</p><h1 id="e742">Red flag 5: They don’t respect your work/life balance</h1><p id="68c9">This one really isn’t much of a surprise. We all know how important work/life balance is — it <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alankohll/2018/03/27/the-evolving-definition-of-work-life-balance/?sh=63075eab9ed3">reduces stress and burnout</a>, enhances <a href="https://thehappinessindex.com/employee-engagement/importance-of-work-life-balance/">mental and physical health</a>, and helps employees remain engaged at work. Even with these widely known benefits, many employers still pay only lip service to work/life balance.</p><p id="f899">I’ve had jobs in the past where my employer extolled the virtues of work/life balance, then turned around and assumed I had no plans after work, so that an extra hour at the office on a Friday night should have been not only anticipated, but attended with satisfaction, if not enthusiasm. Workplaces that don’t truly value balance see you as a robot, not a real person with a life outside of the office.</p><p id="4a81">Most importantly, when you fail to prioritize your own life, overbearing employers will prioritize it for you.</p><p id="b1c5">If you’re interviewing, be sure to ask questions of current employees about work/life balance. I don’t mean surface-level “How is the work/life balance here?”, but something more nuanced, such as “What do you like to do outside of work?” or “Are there any nice places to walk around here?” These aren’t definitive diagnostic questions, but probing a bit can give you some valuable intel. If the employee you’re questioning has no hobbies, or admits with pride that they’re too busy to do things outside of work, or says they have no idea if it’s nice to walk around here because they’re too swamped, then you might have just identified a red flag.</p><h1 id="1d01">Red flag 6: Deadlines are aggressive but artificial</h1><p id="19cf">This red flag isn’t something you can necessarily find during an interview or even in the first few weeks of a new job. This one can take a while to rear its ugly head, but it can make your work-life feel needlessly frenetic.</p><p id="14e7">Deadlines are a part of life — we all have things we must do by a certain time. Sometimes, though, deadlines are arbitrary. That’s not a problem on its own, but when your workplace gives you deadlines that are not only artificial but painfully aggressive (i.e., finish this analysis-heavy report in three days when, really, you need at least a week), that’s a recipe for misery. With deadlines like those, you have no breathing room, and you’re experiencing such a strong push to do something fast that it’s difficult to do it right, which sets you up for failu

Options

re.</p><p id="734f">In short, sometimes deadlines are strict for a reason — client projects, government regulations, etc. But often, they’re not — and lack of leniency is a problem that can create unnecessary stress and throw your work/life balance off-kilter.</p><h1 id="4361">Red flag 7: They solicit feedback that is then used against you</h1><p id="07b0">Feedback is an important part of any job. As an employee, you need to know what you’re doing well and where you can improve. In turn, your employer needs to know what <i>they</i> are doing well and where they could do better. The red flag arises when this idea of ‘<a href="https://www.custominsight.com/360-degree-feedback/what-is-360-degree-feedback.asp">360 degree feedback</a>’ (a system where employees receive anonymous feedback from their colleagues, and where employees can, in turn, provide feedback about their managers and fellow workers) is perverted into a system whereby colleagues can use your words against you.</p><p id="1054">Let me give you an example. Confidentially, a colleague notices you yawning after you’ve been up all night with your sick child. He asks you how you’re doing, and the conversation turns to priorities. You admit that your family is and always will be your first priority. Later, your manager confronts you with that statement in a feedback session, telling you that work is your last priority and that is unacceptable.</p><p id="9399">Scary, right? This kind of toxic feedback loop primes employees to be suspicious of one another, and it prevents the very thing it seeks to promote: open and honest feedback.</p><p id="b754">In practice, such feedback should be given to impartial third parties, like HR, who can then deliver that information to managers and other employees. So, when you’re interviewing or getting used to a new job, dig deeper if someone mentions ‘360 degree feedback.’ What does that really mean? What does it entail? What does it look like in practice?</p><h1 id="1cba">How can you suss out red flags during an interview?</h1><p id="e791">I’ve peppered in some advice throughout this article, but the truth is that sometimes you <i>can’t</i> see all the red flags during your first encounter with an employer. Even if you miss something, being able to identify <i>why</i> something isn’t working for you in a current employment situation can set you on the path to fixing it, even if that means looking for other workplaces entirely.</p><p id="7c2a">That being said, here are a few tips to spot those red flags during your interview:</p><ul><li><b>Ask current employees more nuanced questions</b>: What is a typical day for you really like? Do you enjoy team-building activities? What are your hobbies outside of work? What project have you been most proud of?</li><li><b>Pay attention to the work environment around you:</b> With a critical eye, really <i>look</i> at your potential future office. Do people look happy? Is everybody staring at their computers? Are people surreptitiously scrolling on their phones? Do people eat lunch at their desks?</li><li><b>Read (some) online reviews</b>: Don’t read too much into the one scathingly negative review in a sea of excellent ones, but do take some time to explore others’ experiences. You may get more honest answers from past employees than you would from current ones.</li><li><b>Lean on your network</b>: Do you know anybody else who has worked there? If so, ask if they’d be willing to do an informational interview with you to get a better idea of what the company is like. A friend is more likely than a stranger to give you the skinny on what it’s actually like to work somewhere.</li></ul><p id="86ec">In truth, even if I had spotted every single one of these red flags during previous interviews, there are times when I would’ve taken the job anyway. Maybe the work sounded too interesting, the prestige too great, or the benefits too enticing. That happens, and that is just fine. For me, looking back after the fact and identifying how and why I grew unhappy with previous employers helped me grow and understand what my ideal working environment would be. As a result, I opened my own business and have never felt happier. That wouldn’t have been possible without my past experiences.</p><p id="9bea">In short — look for these red flags at your future, current, or past workplace. Let them help you understand your experiences so that, in the future, you can find (or create!) the work culture that best fits your needs.</p></article></body>

How to Spot Toxic Company Culture Before it Wears You Down

These red flags can help you avoid negative future experiences and understand past ones

As a healthcare researcher, consultant, epidemiologist, and writer, I’ve had a winding career path that has taken me through a variety of workplaces, each with its own distinct culture. Some employers that seemed intimidating at first turned out to be fantastic and supportive, while others that appeared great on the surface ended up as unfortunate disappointments.

Throughout my working life so far, I’ve learned to spot a few key signs of a disappointing, uncomfortable, or downright toxic work culture. That being said, sometimes a job is too irresistible even if you do recognize some of these signs. Either way, keep reading for a collection of red flags that may prevent you from dealing with an unpleasant work situation in the future. They will allow you to identify and potentially rectify issues with your current employer or help you understand why past work experiences didn’t work out for you so you can move toward something better.

Red flag 1: They don’t keep their promises

As with any relationship, when the other party doesn’t keep their promises, it’s challenging to build trust and feel comfortable. A workplace is no exception.

Promises can take various forms, from the interviewer insisting that employees often take breaks during the day to a hiring manager offering thirty vacation days. Promises can also be broken in more than one way. Maybe employees are micromanaged so severely that breaks are impossible, and maybe that 30 vacation days include sick days, or employees are (unofficially) discouraged from taking time off.

Especially during an interview, it can be difficult to tell if a potential employer is a promise-breaker. Here’s a tip — if you’re being buttered up with promises of cool privileges, explanations of the balanced work culture, or anything else, take a look around. Are the other employees taking breaks, or is everybody tied to their computers? Do people look harried while frantically trying to give instructions to a babysitter at home, or is leniency a given? If you get a chance to talk to any of the other employees, don’t be afraid to ask questions. During an interview, you’re interviewing your employer just as much as they’re interviewing you.

Red flag 2: On-the-job training is either not a priority or not offered at all

All jobs necessitate on-the-job training, whether it be something as small as orienting you to new internal communication systems or providing you with vital subject matter knowledge. A lack of support, in the beginning, means people are either a) too busy, b) can’t be bothered, or c) they see your struggle as a rite of passage or a test. A, B, and C are all problematic. If people won’t help you out and offer guidance when you’re a new employee and at your most vulnerable, they likely won’t step up to support you later on, when you have more crucial tasks and could really use their help.

One of the best jobs I ever had offered a staggering two weeks solid of 9-to-5 on-the-job training, along with a sort of ‘continued education’ orientation program that ran for several months after my start date. The rigorous and organized training program ensured all new hires started off on the same foot, that we all understood what was expected of us, and that we also knew where to look for help when we needed it. The training also sent the message to us that we were valued, we were respected, and we were supported. As you can probably imagine, a work environment like that is what I consider a gold standard.

Red flag 3: Your value is measured as time spent at your desk

For some jobs, your presence in your workplace is required (think retail, food service, etc.). For other jobs where ‘work’ means being on the computer, time spent at your desk doesn’t mean much. You could be working from home, from a company lounge, on an airplane — hey, you could even be working on the beach, and at any time of the day or night. When you have that kind of flexibility, it’s silly to equate productivity with desk time. If anything, I’ve noticed that I’m far more productive when I can choose my environment and get to work when I’m the sharpest, which is usually bright and early.

The problem arises when your workplace still places value on desk time. They’re effectively telling you that appearances are more important than actual output or merit. Beyond being an issue in and of itself, that kind of message can wreak havoc on the social structure and internal politics of the company — from backstabbing to toxic competition to the quick erosion of work/life balance.

Red flag 4: There’s a lot of busywork

If an employer hires you, it’s expected that they actually have work for you to do. That may not always be true in the beginning, when you’re just trying to orient yourself to a new place and new procedures, but it shouldn’t be long before you’re a contributing member of the team.

The problem arises when your employer genuinely does not have enough for you to do. I’ve been there many times — but the key distinguishing feature between a good workplace and a potentially toxic one is that one employer will let you do what you will with your unscheduled time. In contrast, the other will invent tasks that may only be related to your actual job duties by the thinnest of threads. At good workplaces, I’ve used the unscheduled time to take quick walks, have lunch with friends, read a few chapters of a book, or brainstorm new work projects, all of which help me recharge so I can be a better employee. When a workplace keeps inventing tasks for you, that could mean they don’t trust you to be a responsible steward of your own time or that they’re testing you to see how you react. Either way, that kind of treatment gets old fast.

Red flag 5: They don’t respect your work/life balance

This one really isn’t much of a surprise. We all know how important work/life balance is — it reduces stress and burnout, enhances mental and physical health, and helps employees remain engaged at work. Even with these widely known benefits, many employers still pay only lip service to work/life balance.

I’ve had jobs in the past where my employer extolled the virtues of work/life balance, then turned around and assumed I had no plans after work, so that an extra hour at the office on a Friday night should have been not only anticipated, but attended with satisfaction, if not enthusiasm. Workplaces that don’t truly value balance see you as a robot, not a real person with a life outside of the office.

Most importantly, when you fail to prioritize your own life, overbearing employers will prioritize it for you.

If you’re interviewing, be sure to ask questions of current employees about work/life balance. I don’t mean surface-level “How is the work/life balance here?”, but something more nuanced, such as “What do you like to do outside of work?” or “Are there any nice places to walk around here?” These aren’t definitive diagnostic questions, but probing a bit can give you some valuable intel. If the employee you’re questioning has no hobbies, or admits with pride that they’re too busy to do things outside of work, or says they have no idea if it’s nice to walk around here because they’re too swamped, then you might have just identified a red flag.

Red flag 6: Deadlines are aggressive but artificial

This red flag isn’t something you can necessarily find during an interview or even in the first few weeks of a new job. This one can take a while to rear its ugly head, but it can make your work-life feel needlessly frenetic.

Deadlines are a part of life — we all have things we must do by a certain time. Sometimes, though, deadlines are arbitrary. That’s not a problem on its own, but when your workplace gives you deadlines that are not only artificial but painfully aggressive (i.e., finish this analysis-heavy report in three days when, really, you need at least a week), that’s a recipe for misery. With deadlines like those, you have no breathing room, and you’re experiencing such a strong push to do something fast that it’s difficult to do it right, which sets you up for failure.

In short, sometimes deadlines are strict for a reason — client projects, government regulations, etc. But often, they’re not — and lack of leniency is a problem that can create unnecessary stress and throw your work/life balance off-kilter.

Red flag 7: They solicit feedback that is then used against you

Feedback is an important part of any job. As an employee, you need to know what you’re doing well and where you can improve. In turn, your employer needs to know what they are doing well and where they could do better. The red flag arises when this idea of ‘360 degree feedback’ (a system where employees receive anonymous feedback from their colleagues, and where employees can, in turn, provide feedback about their managers and fellow workers) is perverted into a system whereby colleagues can use your words against you.

Let me give you an example. Confidentially, a colleague notices you yawning after you’ve been up all night with your sick child. He asks you how you’re doing, and the conversation turns to priorities. You admit that your family is and always will be your first priority. Later, your manager confronts you with that statement in a feedback session, telling you that work is your last priority and that is unacceptable.

Scary, right? This kind of toxic feedback loop primes employees to be suspicious of one another, and it prevents the very thing it seeks to promote: open and honest feedback.

In practice, such feedback should be given to impartial third parties, like HR, who can then deliver that information to managers and other employees. So, when you’re interviewing or getting used to a new job, dig deeper if someone mentions ‘360 degree feedback.’ What does that really mean? What does it entail? What does it look like in practice?

How can you suss out red flags during an interview?

I’ve peppered in some advice throughout this article, but the truth is that sometimes you can’t see all the red flags during your first encounter with an employer. Even if you miss something, being able to identify why something isn’t working for you in a current employment situation can set you on the path to fixing it, even if that means looking for other workplaces entirely.

That being said, here are a few tips to spot those red flags during your interview:

Ask current employees more nuanced questions: What is a typical day for you really like? Do you enjoy team-building activities? What are your hobbies outside of work? What project have you been most proud of?
Pay attention to the work environment around you: With a critical eye, really look at your potential future office. Do people look happy? Is everybody staring at their computers? Are people surreptitiously scrolling on their phones? Do people eat lunch at their desks?
Read (some) online reviews: Don’t read too much into the one scathingly negative review in a sea of excellent ones, but do take some time to explore others’ experiences. You may get more honest answers from past employees than you would from current ones.
Lean on your network: Do you know anybody else who has worked there? If so, ask if they’d be willing to do an informational interview with you to get a better idea of what the company is like. A friend is more likely than a stranger to give you the skinny on what it’s actually like to work somewhere.

In truth, even if I had spotted every single one of these red flags during previous interviews, there are times when I would’ve taken the job anyway. Maybe the work sounded too interesting, the prestige too great, or the benefits too enticing. That happens, and that is just fine. For me, looking back after the fact and identifying how and why I grew unhappy with previous employers helped me grow and understand what my ideal working environment would be. As a result, I opened my own business and have never felt happier. That wouldn’t have been possible without my past experiences.

In short — look for these red flags at your future, current, or past workplace. Let them help you understand your experiences so that, in the future, you can find (or create!) the work culture that best fits your needs.