In the current highly competitive job market, most of us are likely blinded by the attraction of a new position and often ignore the red flags that would otherwise raise a possible toxic work environment. Having gone through it in person and having counseled several others as they navigate the portrayal of unhealthy workplaces, I have an understanding of just how important early recognition of these signals is in the job search process. Knowing about the potential toxicity may help one make better decisions or, at least, prepare for the worst if financial circumstances make taking less-than-ideal positions necessary.
Company culture is something quite special, and at times, it is visualized in very contrasting ways through the whole interview process. By paying attention to a few key indicators, job seekers can get an authentic feeling for what their daily life will entail if they should accept the position. This guide will elaborate on the five crucial signs that the interview process is pointing to a possible highly toxic workplace. Whether you’re in a position to decline job offers or need to steel yourself for a challenging work environment, understanding these red flags is essential.
1. You had to do unreasonable work just to get an interview
This has become increasingly common as companies seek to gauge candidates’ skills and commitment before spending their time on face-to-face meetings. But there’s a limit between reasonable assessment and exploitation. If you’re asked to do large, involved projects or tasks prior to even achieving that first interview—that’s a major warning sign.
It can also manifest in other ways, where arguably unreasonable PRE-interview work is asked from you: churning out a full marketing strategy, several articles, or a highly complex piece of code—all without any guarantee of further consideration. Other variations involve producing anything from a whole marketing plan, multiple articles, or an extremely complex code project without any assurances that there will be a further green signal. Apart from making a parody of your time and competence, such requests could be an indication of the company culture undervaluing employees’ efforts.
Note particularly the timing and nature of such requests. Are you given an assignment to complete in an unrealistic time frame? Does the company email or call to discuss work after office times, indicating you should be on call 24/7? Are the instructions in fact vague and unclear, possibly setting one up for failure? Those are the potential indicators for a work environment that does not respect the balance between work and personal life.
2. Score on Company “Go Above and Beyond” Culture
While such dedication and hard work are virtues, be cautious of the companies that excessively flatter or require these virtues to always surpass one’s normal job expectations. The phrase “go above and beyond” sounds all well and good, but it’s most often a euphemism for a culture of unreasonable overwork and blurred boundaries.
Listen for language in your interviews that suggests an expectation that you should be constantly available or making a sacrifice. Questions that refer to a willingness to work long hours, do things that aren’t in your job description, or set work above other priorities in your life can be a red flag. The same may apply when interviewer are dismissive of questions related to typical workloads, schedules or work-life balance.
A successfully healthy workplace should be in a position that values efficiency, quality, and results within reasonable boundaries, not constantly overextended. Sometimes, just like in a healthy workplace setup, an “above and beyond” attitude can do more harm than good, giving workers the drive to outperform colleagues—and that always fosters resentments and quite sets the stage for burning out, almost destroying team cohesion.
Moreover, this culture tends to fall more heavily upon certain groups of workers. Therefore, such an environment that gives more importance to working hours spent and availability rather than actual productivity and results will never recommend itself to people with caregiving responsibilities, health issues, or any other personal commitments that require them to be absent from work.
Remember, while going the extra mile occasionally can be personally rewarding, an atmosphere at work where this is supposed to be the rule will probably be unstainable in the long term and possibly even toxic.
3. Employees refer to themselves as a “family”
The use of familial language inside of professional settings has been growing over time, as many companies boast that their employees are “like family.” While this initially comes off as warm and soliciting, it tends to be a red flag for potential toxicity.
When a company refers to its workforce as a family, it often means blurred professional and personal lines. A family demands sacrifice, tolerates too much wrong, and requires its members to put others’ needs before their own. To the extent professional relationships are personal relationships, this is the source of exploitation and burnout.
Listen very carefully during your interviews to hear whether an undertone of expected loyalty or pressure to hold the job over personal matters is translated. Those may come through messages of “being there for each other,” “we are more than colleagues,” or “we live and breathe our mission.” Those may sound inspiring, but sometimes they really mean you don’t have personal boundaries.
Moreover, be wary when selling the job to you when the interviewers sell the job by stating the work benefits that actually make you stay longer in the office, like the free food, gyms on site, and others. While such benefits are indeed nice, they may also be a way to blur the lines between work and private life, setting expectations for workers that most of their waking time is spent at the office.
Remember that a good professional environment is just that—a professional environment. It should never aspire to be a family or personal life substitute or to replace your actual family or social network. One needs to learn to draw clear demarcations and lead a balanced life outside the office setting, no matter how “familial” a company might try to purport itself as being.
4. Ambigious Job Specification
Be very cautious with those companies that give sizable work but give no clarity on how they will handle you in the interview stages. This too could be a way of showing such companies having a keen interest on free labor and not serious to pursue you as a potential candidate in their job opening. After all, as they say, the way a company treats you from the time of application reflects a lot on how, as an employee, they value your time, effort, and worth.
Properly clear communication is the bedrock foundation of a healthy work environment. During your interview process, really pay attention to the detail and clarity afforded in your interviewers’ responses. Any vagueness or avoidance of direct questions about job responsibility, company culture, or possibilities of growth can be red flags.
For instance, when a recruiter describes a role that is “a little bit of everything,” one may be very attracted at first because that could make the job diverse and dynamic. On the other hand, a lack of specificity could mean a role that is poorly defined, a company that is not aware of its needs, or an attempt at proving overloading for employees with tasks over and above their job description.
Another red flag is when the interviewers are vague about the hiring timeframe, the core values of the company, and most importantly, the deliverables of the role. Expectations that are not set clearly at the outset, whether in the hiring process or otherwise, can easily snowball into disagreements, frustrations, and conflicts at a future date.
Pay attention to how interviewers answer questions on work-life balance, opportunities for growth, or company culture. Sometimes even diplomatic answers, like “We are best at it” or “It depends,” sometimes mask real red flags that include such likenesses to a lack of commitment, employee burnout, fear of telling the truth about issues at the workplace, or a lack of formal policies in place for employee well-being and development.
Also, recruiting through a transparent interview process will state the expectations clearly for mutual success. If you aren’t getting straight answers to your questions at this stage, that’s likely indicative of broader communication issues within the organization.
Bonus Point: You’re worried about something one of the interviewers says or their attitude
You need your guts on this one. Why did I say that? To put it simply, the behavior and attitude of an interviewer can easily give an outlook on the work culture and environment. A calm, attentive, and well-packed interviewer generally points out a good workplace environment. However, signs of stress, distraction, or unprofessionalism may be red flags for further problems at an organization.
Watch for your interviewer’s body language. Is he or she fidgeting or anxious? Constantly checking his or her phone or is his or her head elsewhere while you are speaking to him or her? All of these things signal that it is a high-anxiety office where the workers are always anxious.
It is an easy way to know whether this company is a disorganized place or they lack proper communication—that will be evidenced if the interviewer is not suitably prepared to conduct the interview or is confused either about the position they are trying to fill or about the nature of the interview itself. This would then mean a lack of organized work, unclear expectations, and a lack of support for employees.
You should be careful if the interviewer now starts to make negative comments regarding current or prior employees, if he engages in office gossip, or if he seems a bit leery about offering to introduce you to anyone else within the team. This can be a sign that the culture is a toxic one, based on not much trust and respect.
You also need to trust your instinct. If something does not go right or feel okay in the interview, even if you cannot put a finger on it, many times you are probably right. Our subconscious often picks up on subtle cues that our conscious mind might miss.
Final Thought
Remember that an interview is a two-way street. The company is not the only one evaluating you; you should be evaluating the company as well. In many respects, how they treat you in this process will mirror how you are treated if hired.
There is no perfect workplace, but being attuned to these warning signs will put you in a better position to make more informed decisions along the path of your career. You will either be better placed and able to decline the potential offer of a toxic job or devise strategies for survival if faced with an overwhelming environment. After all, knowledge is power.
Knowing these red flags doesn’t necessarily mean you have to turn the opportunity down on the spot. Sometimes it just means you go in with your eyes open, be realistic about expectations, and have a clear plan as far as how you are going to be able to care for yourself and professional boundaries. The goal is giving you the ability to make good choices in your professional and personal life to propel you forward in both segments.
Remember: there is no way to link what you are willing to put up with in terms of toxicity in a workplace to the status of your self-worth. The more you are conscious about these signs, and the more you cater to what is good for you, the greater a chance that you will secure a place that is beneficial for your career and overall welfare. After all, a totally successful career is one that lets you grow, contribute, and keep that work-life balance healthy.
