The whole job hunt is basically a well-disguised hell on earth. With so many things at stake, from monthly rent to your dignity, it’s only fair to be over the moon after you hear that long-awaited “we are pleased to...”
But the truth is, things just don’t end there. The real challenge of getting on board in your new workplace begins, and if you’re lucky, you may end up having your dream job with cool colleagues, opportunities to grow and daily savory snacks. In the most common cases, the opposite happens—you start noticing weird things like office tension and burnouts that scream run like Forrest Gump.
“When u get hired and ur boss is like 'this isn't just a job it's a family' u bout to have the WORST experience of your life,” posted @bocxtop on Twitter, sparking a very relatable discussion in a thread. It turns out people are no strangers to red flags about just how toxic, even lethal, their workplaces are and here are some of the things they shared about it.
Image credits: bocxtop
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In some European countries it's even illegal to ask during a job interview if a woman is pregnant.
This comment covers up another dang scam, here’s a dog instead 🐶 ( Yes it got deleted! )
And "Dedication to the job" means that you will not ever have the audacity to take time off for funerals, weddings or vacation.
To find out more about the telltale signs of a toxic workplace so you can run far away from it the moment you realize it, we spoke with Marilyn Starkloff, a marketing coordinator and content strategist. According to Marilyn, a toxic workplace can be described in a variety of ways and everyone has their own unique story to tell.
“I recommend finding out whether a job is toxic right away. Don’t squander your time. Time is valuable and it deserves to be spent in the right environment with the right people. You can accomplish this by reading Glassdoor reviews (sometimes—however, some toxic employers will have their employees write fake reviews—mine did this),” she said.
And in half the time it would have taken 3 persons to do the work.
Marilyn said that one major difference between her former employment and her present job was that “I could hear her ranting and cursing at one of the staff as soon as I went in for the interview,” she recounted. However, “I heard laughter in the background at my current non-toxic employment. I'm not sure about you, but I prefer to hear people laugh,” she said.
If they don't give you a chance to ask questions about the company, you should take that as a direct advice against working there.
"Everyone drinks after work....some drink at work....We all drink...a lot."
“A toxic work environment is one where you continually feel like you're walking on glass. Your heart rushes with terror whenever you see your employer. You're frightened to raise questions because you'll be yelled at, rejected, or belittled if you do. As a result, if you don't feel comfortable asking questions, the quality of your job will suffer,” Marilyn said and added that communication is the only way to learn and get the task done efficiently.
Another telltale sign is high turnover, Marilyn explained. “If everyone has only been there for a year or less, there's a good likelihood there's a reason. My advice is to ask, "What is your turnover rate?" in your next interview. This is a question that almost any decent employer will gladly answer.”
They also have other nice things to say: "Be glad that I'm not firing you." "If you don't talk you can work harder." "Your only excuse for not showing up is that you're dead." and the worst one: "If i start paying you in peanuts, would you at least improve and work like a monkey?"
that also translates into "you'll do several different jobs, but we won't train you in any of them"
A disorganized workplace can also be a red flag. “Within my five years, I understood that disorganization might be the root of most problems. The reason the office was so disorganized was because of the high turnover rate. There was no organizing structure in place, and every job was left open-ended (no awareness of who did what),” the marketing coordinator recounted.
She added that the owner would then accuse and rage at an employee for misplacing documentation, a sample, products, checks, and keys. “Because the organization was in such a state of disarray, this resulted in the accountants staying for only a year or less.”
Sound precisely the kind of jobs I had when younger. I accepted them strictly based on the best pay offered. The reasoning was; If they didn't have an idea how to describe the job, they also wouldn't have a way to find that I didn't know how to do it neither. Usually lasted an average of two years. I have no remorse.
At least the boss didn't cry, so it might not be hell but just purgatory to work there.
Easy, avoid speaking to your co-workers and bosses and don't listen to what they have to say.
That's ok as long as you pay every minute I'm working for you. I don't do free work, not even "sometime".
If we're like family, I'll be the black sheep and do as little as possible in as much possible time.
Yep. Worked for one of these and it was the worst 2 yrs of my life. Towards the end of my tenure, I was roped into pretty much being the owners gopher. I was the office manager for one office and the Corp recruiter for 3 offices. When I say I was burned out, I was freakin burned out. And the worst part? I let it happen. I got roped into the "family" BS
And you reply with: " Thanks, but I don't like working with inefficient people who are lousy in time management."
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Unlimited PTO = you'll never have time to take it and we won't have to pay it out when you leave.
If there seems to be no specific interest in you as an applicant and they're willing to start you same day or they seem overly desperate to get you working ASAP, they might have turnover problems and be looking for the next person with a pulse. Don't do it.
Unlimited PTO = you'll never have time to take it and we won't have to pay it out when you leave.
If there seems to be no specific interest in you as an applicant and they're willing to start you same day or they seem overly desperate to get you working ASAP, they might have turnover problems and be looking for the next person with a pulse. Don't do it.
