Guaranteed Ways to Identify a Toxic Work Culture at Interviews

What is a Toxic Work Culture?

A toxic culture at work is a very unhealthy place to be. It is the opposite of transparent, nurturing, and inclusive. A toxic work environment is one where negative behavior may manifest on a regular basis. Some examples are yelling, passive-aggressive manipulation, micromanagement, lack of trust, high stress, poor work-life balance, and more. This type of negative environment can make anyone feel punished, humiliated, undervalued, burned out, anxious, or depressed. When working in a toxic environment, it is common for people to feel trapped and unsure of how to change their situation for the better.

Sadly, a toxic culture usually only needs one or two individuals to begin breaking down the entire organization. One of the most common requests I get from businesses as a Career Coach is to help them improve their organization’s culture.  Often, I am asked to help remove team toxicity and make the work environment more inclusive. No matter how few employees may have started this type of culture, it never takes long for the outcome to be systemic. It is one of the most challenging improvements to make within an organization. The approach depends on the specific circumstances but likely includes tailored coaching sessions, team building, and mediation exercises.

Despite all this hard work to remove toxicity, there typically must be a high level of attrition for the best outcome and success. So, wouldn’t it be an immeasurable gift to know an organization has a toxic work culture before you accept a new job? It may be difficult to uncover, but it is not impossible.

Plan to Leave a Toxic Work Culture

This article will cover how to avoid entering a toxic culture in a new role when doing a job search. If you are currently working in a toxic environment and are looking for guidance, know that your choices are limited. Much of what happens in a toxic work environment is beyond the control of a single employee. First, it must be said that no one chooses to work in a toxic work environment, and it’s no one’s fault if they end up in one. To change your situation you will need to take back your own power. I recommend you reflect internally and ask yourself:

• What is my response when I encounter toxic behavior at work?
• In what ways do I have control over my situation?
• What is preventing me from leaving?
• What support do I need to make an exit plan?

Generally, when working in a toxic environment you have two options: stay and navigate the toxicity or leave. Although it may sound easy to decide to leave, there may be circumstances causing you to need to stay even temporarily, for many reasons. These reasons could include financial or immigration reasons or limited options in your industry. It could also be that your company offers you something relatively uncommon such as remote work if you’re in an industry that hasn’t fully embraced it yet. Or your company may provide a hefty childcare stipend that is crucial to your household finances which makes the decision more complicated.

No doubt the decision will be difficult, but even in the worst circumstances there is a way out with a little planning. The majority of the time, introspection leads to the fact that you need to leave sooner rather than later. Often in cases where a decision is made to stay and navigate the toxicity, the situation only worsens over time. I usually suggest to clients that they stay only as long as it takes to complete their exit plan whenever possible.

This may be overwhelming to conclude, and you may feel like you don’t have the bandwidth or emotional energy to start looking for new opportunities. If you are struggling, I highly recommend you seek help through a career coach or therapist. The support will help you handle the exit in a productive way. Remember you can utilize time off or get approval for a mental health leave so you can plan the steps for your exit with a clear, healthy mind. The effort you make now to carve out time to plan your exit will be worth it in the long run. Everyone deserves to work in an environment that is healthy and where they can thrive.

How to Identify a Toxic Work Culture in a Job Search

In terms of being proactive, if you are about to enter the job market and want to avoid a role at a company with a toxic environment, remember to always do plenty of research on prospective employers. This can help uncover toxic behaviors within an organization before you accept a role. Often, you can read company reviews on sites like Glassdoor which will tell you both pros and cons of working there. These reviews are usually submitted by past or current employees and can be both positive and negative.

Another way to discover if there are elements of toxicity in the culture at a company is by word of mouth. Talking face-to-face is typically an excellent way to promote truth in most situations. Networking is an invaluable source everyone should take advantage of in all phases of their career. Whether you are searching for a new employer or happy where you are, it never hurts to know what is happening in the job market. It is wise to be in the know and speak with everyone you can about companies you may be interested in working for now or in the future. You may even find yourself in a position to help a friend that needs information about a prospective company.

In a perfect world, we would discover the toxic culture right away and discontinue our application at a company to avoid any future issues. However, this is not always reality. Rest assured, even if you do not uncover problems ahead of an interview, there is still a great chance you can uncover red flags during an interview to prevent acceptance of a role in a toxic workplace.  

Top 10 Interview Red Flags that Unveil a Toxic Work Culture

1. Lack of Clear Boundaries: Healthy boundaries are essential in all relationships and work is no different. In today’s world of constant access, and work-from-home or hybrid options, it is increasingly challenging to find a good work-life balance. Flexibility in schedule is often a perk that people search for in a new role. This perk can quickly become a problem when there is no definition of start and end times to work. Lines can become fuzzy very quickly if you do not understand expected core hours, break times, how overtime is handled, and frequency of night or weekend hours, etc. Ask the appropriate questions ahead of time or you will suffer the consequences of burnout and disappointment quickly.
   
   Remember that we all need downtime to recharge for peak performance. When you work at home it is harder to draw a healthy line between work and home which makes it essential to define boundaries before you start to work for a company. A client once told me their boss would check in 10-15 minutes before the end of their workday and spout off to-do lists. The boss would then ask if the tasks were completed in their morning touchpoint. Be cautious of working for someone that has no sense of how long it takes to complete tasks, or expects you to work through the night to appease them.
   
2. Vague Job Description: When you prepare for your interview you basically memorize the job description learning it inside and out to ensure your skills meet the requirements of the company. So, if you start asking about specific responsibilities that the company is looking for and the interviewer draws a blank, that is beyond worrisome. Most good companies spend a long time crafting accurate and detailed job descriptions to attract the right candidates. Doing so shows you that they know the specific skills they need for this role and there won’t be any surprises for you or them after you’re hired. If they are unclear about what they are looking for, you are a straight shot into the “I was hired to do X, and now they want me to do Y” zone.
   
   Additionally, although it can feel good for your ego to hear a company say “we are hiring you to do this project management role, but we are impressed with your technical coding skills. Would you be open to doing special projects that use your technical skills?” This can be a red flag that the company is trying to get you to do work for two roles while paying you for one role. This always leads to a dead end.
   
3. Disrespecting Your Time: Time is money. This is true not just for the hiring manager, or the HR representative of the company that is interviewing you; it is also true for you. Even though it’s not uncommon for recruiters or managers to keep a candidate holding in their personal Zoom waiting room, or outside an office well past their interview start time, that doesn’t make it right. Whether going over in time or starting an interview late, a respectful acknowledgment of the time variation needs to be made. If this happens, don’t brush it off, take careful note of how that person is not respecting or valuing your time. Life happens to all of us, but it costs nothing to apologize when we can’t commit to a time we set for ourselves.
   
4. Pressure to Schedule an Interview ASAP: Never mistake eagerness to hire you for desperation to fill a role. The higher the attrition at a company, the more likely they will be under pressure to hire for their open roles “yesterday”.  Everyone wants to feel valued and that they are going to solve problems immediately when they get hired, but the hiring process needs to be respected without cutting corners.
   
   A client shared that they were once asked to move up their interview to accommodate a hiring manager that was leaving the country for one week and said they didn’t want to lose momentum or wait for hiring paperwork to be completed when they returned. They even asked the client to complete their background check prior to interviewing. At the time, there was a category three hurricane in the client’s direct path, and the outcome was very uncertain. Even though the client expressed this concern, the employer insisted on scheduling the interview two days later, and it was on a Saturday. Obviously, this was a red flag of toxic boundary issues. This client accepted the role and found out very quickly that there were many more toxic issues with that organization that could have been avoided. 
   
5. Extensive Interview Requirements and Free Ideas: If a company needs to go through endless cycles of interviewing to assess your fit for a role, there’s something wrong with their decision-making processes which should be cause for concern. Perhaps even more troubling are those situations where companies seem to use interviews as opportunities to get free consulting. Yes, it’s perfectly reasonable to ask behavioral interview-type questions like “How would you handle a direct report who constantly shows up to client meetings late but produces top-notch work?” It’s not, however, reasonable to ask you to help them brainstorm ideas for how to optimize their logistics process or request your feedback on proposed branding redesign efforts. If they suggest giving you a competitive analysis spreadsheet to complete as homework to better assess your level of fit for the role, run in the other direction.
   
6.  Lack of Transparency about Compensation: Most companies say transparency is an area of importance. However, it is common for companies to talk the talk, but rarely walk the walk. The most obvious example where transparency is needed is regarding pay. Despite a plethora of reasons why we work in a particular field, or at a specific company, we are all there for one primary need – to get paid. So, why is the topic of pay treated as taboo?
   
   Do not accept being made to feel ashamed for even caring what the compensation might be. A company should proactively share a pay rate or reasonable range, clearly explaining relevant benefits or perks. If you do not have the role’s pay information before the interview day, something is wrong. If an interviewer or recruiter is unable to clearly articulate the pay range, promotion, and career progression process, and or bonus structure at the organization, that’s a red flag. Remember every job equals compensation for talent. If they treat your compensation questions with insignificance, don’t expect transparency once you come on board.
   
7. Low Energy Culture: Corporate culture is measured by employee morale. Take note of whether the interviewer, managers, or others you come in contact with seem upbeat, rested, and excited about their work. Do they seem stressed, overwhelmed, and anxious? While we can’t know anyone’s feelings without asking, observations can provide valuable insight. If they seem pleasant but less than inspired when speaking about corporate goals, priorities, and initiatives, ask yourself if you will be satisfied having that same low energy for your work. One person is not an accurate representation of an entire company, but it can put things into perspective and open your eyes to notice trends in that environment. Remember it is natural to show excitement when speaking about something you are passionate about, i.e. your work.
   
8. Zero Tolerance for Mistakes: No matter how experienced or well-versed in a topic you are, we all make mistakes. As humans, we learn from our mistakes. Imagine a workplace where there is zero tolerance for errors, and everything is expected to be perfect. Not only is this unrealistic, but it is also unhealthy. In a toxic environment like this, people will do whatever it takes to avoid being blamed or to get ahead. It is also common for the workplace to suffer from information hoarding where important work-related information is not shared with teammates. Even worse, workers in this environment will throw each other under the bus when something goes wrong creating trust issues within the team. This type of culture can be especially hard on minorities, who already must deal with higher expectations to stay in good standing at work.
   
   One way to gauge how mistakes are handled is to ask the interviewer to tell you about a time when the team struggled with a process and how it was handled. Or what does it look like to do well in this role? If these questions are met with examples of harsh corrective actions, or worse, job termination, you should reevaluate your interest in the company. Do not have a mindset that you will be treated differently because you won’t.
   
   Another good topic to breach is the learning curve of the new employee. How long is training, and is there a probation period? How will mistakes be handled in the first 30 days, etc.? Do not assume anything in this area, and be aware of red flags when you see them. For example, a hiring manager appears to be relaxed about things but then tells you harsh corrective actions were taken on a team member for a mistake. A client shared that they were verbally told things were going well in their new role in the first two weeks. A surprise came a few days later when they were brought into a closed conference room and advised they made mistakes that needed some serious adjustments or they could be terminated.  
   
9. A Dismissive Hiring Process: If people are rude and dismissive to you throughout the hiring process it is a red flag. Remember that typically people are on their best behavior when you meet for the first time. If their behavior was initially rude, it would likely get worse from there. Examples of a dismissive atmosphere could be that the front office staff is impatient with you, or during the interview, the interviewer is looking at their phone or out the window often as you speak.
   
10.  Trust Your Gut: You meet the hiring manager and don’t like them. Even if you don’t have a specific reason, that is sometimes your gut telling you what your brain hasn’t figured out yet. I highly recommend you do not ignore these feelings, but instead trust your gut. What rubs you the wrong way initially could wind up being the last straw that leads you to resign in six months.

Questions to Ask to Uncover Toxic Work Culture

When in doubt, ask a question. There is nothing I can recommend more than the importance of asking questions at an interview. Many candidates think it is best to go with the flow and stay quiet during the interview and ask all of their questions once an offer is made or once they start working. This is the worst possible way you could handle your opportunity to discover as much as possible about this prospective company. A good employer is impressed with a candidate who is truly interested in the company and the role and has taken the time to gather questions prior to the interview.

Remember how much is at stake if you accept a role at a company that has a toxic culture. Now is the time to ask any and every question you may have to uncover and understand things best. You can only make a decision based on the information you have. You will not want to attempt to make such an important decision based on minimal or partial information.

If you are wondering what types of questions to ask, here are a few to get you started:

• What do you like most about working here?
• If you were in my position, would you take this job?
• What does this organization know and believe about psychological safety?
• How would you rate your work-life balance?
• Tell me the company’s core values and how you hold people accountable to live them
• If employees make mistakes what happens to them?
• What happens to employees when they challenge the status quo?
• How does this company handle diversity?
• Do you meet with your employees for career development sessions?
• How do you see me fitting into the team?

The bottom line is that no matter how bad your current situation at work is, you have options. You may not change things overnight, but you can start taking steps to improve your circumstances faster than you think. So, don’t let fear or the unknown be what stands in your way when making a job change. Use your power to uncover the truth about where you work. Not only will you be a much happier person if you do, but you may also help others as well.

Go ahead – Find Your Rhythm at Work, and be authentically you!