How To Spot A Toxic Workplace

By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

In a job interview, you won’t immediately know if the company is toxic or not. After all, it’s just an interview. There are no second chances to scope out the workplace with your senses. An interviewer might ask you if you have any questions before ending the interview. You can use this opportunity to ask them about their company culture and working conditions. If they respond positively and make their workplace sound like a dream come true, there are usually other things they aren’t telling you. Here are some red flags that indicate whether an organization’s culture is toxic or not:

A High-Pressure Interview Process

If you get the feeling that your interviewer is rushing through the process, or maybe rushing you through a particular question, then that’s a red flag. They should be interested in your answers and be asking follow-up questions or clarifying points to ensure that they get what they need from the conversation. A toxic workplace will put a lot of pressure on new hires and on people, they interview — either to hit unrealistic quotas or to “perform” once they’ve started. While the latter is understandable to some extent, the former is completely unreasonable. If the interviewer is putting pressure on you, you may have to dig deep and remind yourself that you’re not at fault…