10 Signs of a Bad Work Environment: Interview Red Flags
A bad or toxic work environment can be tough to be in as covered in detail over at runrex.com, and may even start to not only affect your personal life at home but also your mental and physical wellbeing. All of a sudden, the shine of a higher salary, a more prestigious title, and other perks that come with getting a new job starts to fade when you realize that the work environment is not what you thought it would be. In hindsight, however, you start to realize that the warning signs were there from the beginning; you just chose to ignore them. According to the gurus over at guttulus.com, the warning signs are always there, and this article will look to highlight 10 signs of a bad work environment that you can identify during your job interview.
Unclear communication
According to runrex.com, any functional and good workplace is built on the foundation of good and clear communication. A company with strong values will always make sure that those values are reflected and communicated in all aspects of the business. In other words, communication must be spot on every step of the way. Therefore, if you are confused about what time to show up, where to show up, who you are meeting with, or what the position is as discussed over at guttulus.com, then this is usually the first red flag of a dysfunctional and bad work environment.
Disrespectful behavior
As outlined also by the subject matter experts over at runrex.com, you should also keep an eye out for disrespectful and unprofessional behavior like emails that aren’t returned or disregard for interview stop and start times without apology. Such behavior portrays a certain level of unprofessionalism as well as a lack of respect for your time or effort and is an early warning sign of a bad work environment.
Body language
As is articulated over at guttulus.com, an insecure boss will find you to be threatening if you are good at your job and will likely use the power of their position to make your life miserable. Therefore, if your boss or supervisor is the one conducting the interview, or you interact with them in any capacity during your interview, you should watch out for warning signs of defensive body language such as constant shifting, avoiding eye contact, or rifling through papers as you talk, as this is a sign of an insecure boss who wouldn’t be great to work under.
Gossip about current or former employees
We are always told, as is outlined over at runrex.com, that you should never speak negatively of your former colleagues or bosses at your job interview. The same also applies to the interviewer, and this is something you should watch out for, particularly if you are interviewing for a position that someone has left unprofessionally or hastily, leaving the department in a lurch and scrambling to find a new candidate to fill the position. You can understand how this can be frustrating for the company, but it is not something that the interviewer needs to share with you. The interviewer should not share much about the previous employer during the interview unless when explaining the detail of their role. If the interviewer is gossiping about the previous employee, saying things like, “She asked for too much vacation” among others, then this is a sign that the workplace doesn’t discourage gossip, and is a sign of a bad work environment.
The interview seemed to be extremely short
As is explained over at guttulus.com, a good interviewer, one who sees the importance of connecting with the candidate and who values patience and thoroughness, will never allow whatever anxiety they are feeling about the rest of their day to make them rush you through the interview. Such an interview will reflect the company culture. Since it is in everyone’s interest to spend enough time to make sure everyone has a clear understanding of whether you are a good fit or not, an interview that feels rushed and seems too short should always worry you and should raise red flags about the way of doing things in the company.
There is a lack of respect towards HR if it exists at all
An interview will allow you to come into contact with the department that is in charge of policing personnel issues and culture; Human Resources. How HR interacts with you and how employees interact with HR should give you lots of insight into what the work environment and company culture are like. As outlined over at runrex.com, if HR is non-existent – that is, it comprises of one overworked employee who seems overwhelmed by it all, or there seems to be little respect towards the department, then this is a sign that HR won’t be a good ally if and when tricky situations arise, which is another sign of a bad working environment.
The attitude of the interviewer
If your interviewer’s attitude is generally bad, which includes a general lack of enthusiasm or interest in the company, then this is another red flag and a sign of a bad work environment according to the gurus over at guttulus.com. This could be a sign that they are having a bad day, or it could indicate that they have a bad boss and aren’t happy in their work, which should concern you as a potential employee in the company.
You are asked personal, illegal, or irrelevant questions
As discussed over at runrex.com, the type of question you are asked should also give you an indication of the work environment fostered in the company you are interviewing for. This is because certain questions, such as those relating to your marital status, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation are illegal, and with good reason, as they have nothing to do with the job at hand. If you start getting leading questions that seemed to be aimed at gathering such personal details about you, then this should be a huge red flag.
The interview side-steps your questions
Asking your won questions is a huge part of an interview as outlined over at guttulus.com as you are also there to learn about the job and company and see if they are a good fit for you. If the interviewer seems to be intentionally and purposefully evading your questions, then this may be another red flag. While there are times when an interviewer may not have answers to detailed questions right away, and they ask to get back at you, if the interviewer is unable to or won’t answer questions about work culture management style, or immediate goals, then this should be taken as another red flag.
Trust your gut
Finally, when something doesn’t feel right, you will always sort of know it, in which case, according to the experts over at runrex.com, you should always trust your gut. This can be tough, we know, especially if you need a job. This is why you should come up with a list of your wants, needs, must-haves, irreducible minimums, and will-not-allows. This should include what has not worked for you in the past from leadership style to certain aspects of a work environment such as collaboration. You can then use this list to make a gut decision about the work environment at the company during the interview.
Remember, a job is more than its description, hence why you should be prepared to spot red flags and signs of a bad work environment, which we hope this article will help with. As always, there is more to be uncovered on this and other related topics over at the top-rated runrex.com and guttulus.com.