How to spot a company with a toxic work culture

As a fresh-out-of-school graduate who is in the job-seeking process, or as a student who is searching for a part-time job to aid personal expenses, it is very easy to be wooed by a company you know nothing bad about. It is very easy to be carried away by their grandiosity that you are blinded by their toxic work culture.  

Well, this piece we will be looking at some signs to help spot a company with a bad culture and toxic work environment so we can air them. But first of all, before we begin, let us clarify what a toxic work environment is.

Also Read: Risevest CEO, Eke Urum Steps Down

What is a toxic work culture?

A toxic work culture can be defined by many things. It is a deep-rooted issue that it is almost impossible to fully define in a paragraph. In fact, it is a common culprit of massive resignations. But I don’t want to waste your time so here is a short one [please draw out a pen and paper and take notes cause these companies are out in disguise everywhere] and, inevitably, you will come across them. #Careerbuddycares

A toxic work culture/environment is a workspace in which the intuitional growth of the company is put in place above the mental and financial welfare of its workforce. This kind of work environment still employs crude and outdated work ethics that are toxically aimed to get the best out of its workers. A company with a toxic work environment perceives its workers like robots in a machine factory rather than humans with real lives beyond tasks and deadlines. Although a toxic work culture is mostly built by the employer; However, it could also form within the employees. 

Having defined this, let’s move on to the signs, have you ever witnessed any of these before? Let us know in the comments.

Gossip in office

Upon the first day of your arrival and you notice a high level of gossip among the office staff, that’s a red flag. It demonstrates a lack of seriousness and commitment to the tasks at hand which further insinuates the lack of drive to achieve goals. If there is even any.

No defined set of humanitarian values

When there are no values, and no vision board in an organisation, the workforce lacks direction as to how to execute tasks. For this reason, employers are forced to play by their own rules and that is not how a system works.

Vagueness of salary amount & Irrelevant secrecy

When they are hiding how much the salary for the role is, that is a problem. Note: it is not about the money, it is about the irrelevant secrecy. When pivotal areas that are of direct concern to you are intentionally evaded; It hints at a lack of seamless communication within the chains of the organization. Know this! 

Presentation of unhealthy competition among peers

As long as they have accepted your CV, and have passed successful interview stages, you should not have to prove yourself constantly that you have what it takes to perform in the role you were hired for. If or when they are giving you the vibes that you have to go beyond your peers to keep the job, brother, sister, that is a red flag. They say the same thing to everyone just to get the best out of you. Nah scam!. Yes, competition can be helpful to bring the best out of certain workers but in a setting where that is the foundational work culture on which a company thrives, at the end of the day, it will exhaust you. 

Nonchalant attitude among the senior staffs

If you come into a job as a junior, an intern or a rookie, observe the senior staff. Notice their work ethics and conduct. Check to see if they follow the so-called “rules and guidelines”. Observe whether they are above discipline. If they are, it is an indication that the rules are effective. If they are not, it is a sign that you are not working for a faceless company or righteous cause, but for the pockets and ease of the “Big Boys”. If the senior staff are not leading by example, it is only a matter of time before the junior employees start doing the same and that only results in frustration for you, who are passionate about the job at hand.

Lack of visible innovation 

Stalk their social media accounts. Thoroughly examine their web pages and check out for monotonous patterns. Notice if there were changes in how they do things. Notice the changes in templates, fonts, graphics, etc. if it’s a new organization this method isn’t entirely valid. But if it’s a company that’s been around for a while and the way they started is still the same way they are. It hints the company is antagonistic to innovation and new ideas. A model that will not foster your growth.

Silence during socio-cultural moments 

If the company you intend to work for has a habit of staying silent when sensitive issues such as sexual harassment in work, rape, police brutality, terrorism, or bad governance when they are taking up conversations on the internet and is failing to address and have conversations about them within the office, that’s a sign they do not care about anything in the real world and its employees. This leads us to the next sign.

No philanthropy or humanitarian outreach

If a company lacks a history of donations, philanthropy, and humane outreach. With all the money they make. It shows they do not care about community welfare. And when a company does not care for its community beyond the office walls, how do you expect it to care for you? 

Bad reviews of company culture

This one is pretty obvious. It’s just before hiring a service. Check for reviews of people who have worked there. When there are bad reviews of toxic work culture that is the ultimate sign.

But Career Buddy, what if I am already in a company that has a bad work culture? And what can I do to improve it?. Then subscribe to this newsletter. That is a gist for another article.