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The whole job hunt is basically a well-disguised hell on earth. With so many things at stake, from monthly rent to your dignity, it’s only fair to be over the moon after you hear that long-awaited “we are pleased to...”
But the truth is, things just don’t end there. The real challenge of getting on board in your new workplace begins, and if you’re lucky, you may end up having your dream job with cool colleagues, opportunities to grow and daily savory snacks. In the most common cases, the opposite happens—you start noticing weird things like office tension and burnouts that scream run like Forrest Gump.
“When u get hired and ur boss is like 'this isn't just a job it's a family' u bout to have the WORST experience of your life,” posted @bocxtop on Twitter, sparking a very relatable discussion in a thread. It turns out people are no strangers to red flags about just how toxic, even lethal, their workplaces are and here are some of the things they shared about it.
Image credits: bocxtop
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#1
WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago
In some European countries it's even illegal to ask during a job interview if a woman is pregnant.
Paul Davis 3 years ago
Also in the U.S., but that doesn't deter some people from asking because so many don't give a crap about the law.
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Rose 3 years ago
It is in the States as well, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen - frequently.
Load More Replies... Mazer 3 years ago
Back before the 1980’s when women were so much more marginalized, had a ton of company rules and policies that threatened their careers. This was especially true with flight attendants. Get married - lose your job, get pregnant - lose your job, gain weight (for any reason) - lose your job. My mother was a flight attendant for United Airlines, she got married after meeting my father at work, she lost her job. Decades later, I’m taking my dog into see an orthopedic surgeon veterinarian, we get to talking travel and he tells me it’s his wife who sued the airline winning so many freedoms for her flight attendant colleagues.
GirlFriday 3 years ago
When I was first starting my career in the early 90's, I was asked in more than a few interviews if I was single and when I said yes, they would ask if I was on birth control.
Angela B 3 years ago (edited)
I once had an Employer (at an Interview) ask: Do you have child4en? How old? Do they get sick often? Do you plan to have any more? Do you do drugs? Do you have any mental health problems? Are you deeply religious? Reported them to the recruitment agency that got me the interview....and never replied to the offer of position.
Na Schi 3 years ago
Had the same a couple of years ago as a woman. They didn't asked directly but surely in a way that would lead them to the conclusion... I had no problem to lie straight into their faces that I was single and were willing to full concentrate on my career (ok the second one was not even a lie). Nobody later called me out when I naturally spoke about my long term relationship and even if... there are always short term break-up... Funny thing? Up to until today I've never heard from my male partner that one single interview even pointed in this direction. They were asking a lot of crazy s**t but never were intrested in his private affairs or his need to reproduce...
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#2
Gogeta Blue 3 years ago (edited)
This comment covers up another dang scam, here’s a dog instead 🐶 ( Yes it got deleted! )
#3
WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago
And "Dedication to the job" means that you will not ever have the audacity to take time off for funerals, weddings or vacation.
To find out more about the telltale signs of a toxic workplace so you can run far away from it the moment you realize it, we spoke with Marilyn Starkloff, a marketing coordinator and content strategist. According to Marilyn, a toxic workplace can be described in a variety of ways and everyone has their own unique story to tell.
“I recommend finding out whether a job is toxic right away. Don’t squander your time. Time is valuable and it deserves to be spent in the right environment with the right people. You can accomplish this by reading Glassdoor reviews (sometimes—however, some toxic employers will have their employees write fake reviews—mine did this),” she said.
#4
WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago
And in half the time it would have taken 3 persons to do the work.
Marilyn said that one major difference between her former employment and her present job was that “I could hear her ranting and cursing at one of the staff as soon as I went in for the interview,” she recounted. However, “I heard laughter in the background at my current non-toxic employment. I'm not sure about you, but I prefer to hear people laugh,” she said.
#8
WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago
If they don't give you a chance to ask questions about the company, you should take that as a direct advice against working there.
#9
Sage Gusano 3 years ago
"Everyone drinks after work....some drink at work....We all drink...a lot."
“A toxic work environment is one where you continually feel like you're walking on glass. Your heart rushes with terror whenever you see your employer. You're frightened to raise questions because you'll be yelled at, rejected, or belittled if you do. As a result, if you don't feel comfortable asking questions, the quality of your job will suffer,” Marilyn said and added that communication is the only way to learn and get the task done efficiently.
Another telltale sign is high turnover, Marilyn explained. “If everyone has only been there for a year or less, there's a good likelihood there's a reason. My advice is to ask, "What is your turnover rate?" in your next interview. This is a question that almost any decent employer will gladly answer.”
#11
WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago
They also have other nice things to say: "Be glad that I'm not firing you." "If you don't talk you can work harder." "Your only excuse for not showing up is that you're dead." and the worst one: "If i start paying you in peanuts, would you at least improve and work like a monkey?"
#12
John Dilligaf 3 years ago
that also translates into "you'll do several different jobs, but we won't train you in any of them"
A disorganized workplace can also be a red flag. “Within my five years, I understood that disorganization might be the root of most problems. The reason the office was so disorganized was because of the high turnover rate. There was no organizing structure in place, and every job was left open-ended (no awareness of who did what),” the marketing coordinator recounted.
She added that the owner would then accuse and rage at an employee for misplacing documentation, a sample, products, checks, and keys. “Because the organization was in such a state of disarray, this resulted in the accountants staying for only a year or less.”
#15
gerry.garh 3 years ago
Sound precisely the kind of jobs I had when younger. I accepted them strictly based on the best pay offered. The reasoning was; If they didn't have an idea how to describe the job, they also wouldn't have a way to find that I didn't know how to do it neither. Usually lasted an average of two years. I have no remorse.
#19
WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago
At least the boss didn't cry, so it might not be hell but just purgatory to work there.
#20
WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago
Easy, avoid speaking to your co-workers and bosses and don't listen to what they have to say.
#22
WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago (edited)
That's ok as long as you pay every minute I'm working for you. I don't do free work, not even "sometime".
#24
#27
#28
WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago
If we're like family, I'll be the black sheep and do as little as possible in as much possible time.
#29
Moezzzz 3 years ago
Yep. Worked for one of these and it was the worst 2 yrs of my life. Towards the end of my tenure, I was roped into pretty much being the owners gopher. I was the office manager for one office and the Corp recruiter for 3 offices. When I say I was burned out, I was freakin burned out. And the worst part? I let it happen. I got roped into the "family" BS
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What do you think ?
Natalie Williams 3 years ago (edited)
Unlimited PTO = you'll never have time to take it and we won't have to pay it out when you leave.
Claire Stanfield 3 years ago
If there seems to be no specific interest in you as an applicant and they're willing to start you same day or they seem overly desperate to get you working ASAP, they might have turnover problems and be looking for the next person with a pulse. Don't do it.
Jeweled Dragon 3 years ago
Reading posts like this makes me feel lucky to work where I work. The coworkers and managers actually are like a family, in a positive way. The policy for time off requests is that if you schedule a day off three weeks in advance, you are guaranteed to get it. If you need a day off after the three week mark, you can talk to your manager and they are more than happy to arrange it for you. They deliberately overbook most days so if someone ends up not being able to come in they won't be short-staffed and the person needing time off won't feel pressured to come in when they are sick, or if there is a family emergency.
Wise beauty 3 years ago
I feel like the overall message of these people hiring is “we’ll pay you less than minimum wage for your soul.”
Adrian 3 years ago
Because every boss has only one story about all his weird subordinates. Similarly, every subordinate has a story about weird bosses. There are a lot more employees than bosses - hence waaay more stories about weird bosses - its just statistics.
Load More Replies... Grady'sRaider 3 years ago
Sometimes the fertilizer hits the fan after you quit your last job and on the first day is. Your 8-5 job in the interview is "We work here until 6." You must be able to work with women, in the interview, is far from the professional mature women you worked with, but rather now the group of mean girls from junior high who were never socialized any further.
Jess-a-men 3 years ago (edited)
Always remember: If an employer uses the word "family" to describe a job, they do not mean the kind of family where a sweet granny bakes you cookies. They mean the type of family where a guy with a black suit and a rose on his lapel offers to do you a favour.
Carol Emory 3 years ago
And "Expected to work some weekends" means you will be working every Saturday and Sunday for the remainder of your time here. Had a former employer that was the owner. She said she expected everyone to work as hard as her. Guess that only applied to the weekdays because, while we were at the shop dealing with hordes of dogs needing grooming, she was on a boat with her kids in another state.
TrickQuestion 3 years ago
From employees: "At least we have a job" NO. Don't just accept being treated badly just because it's work.
Destiny Kruse 3 years ago
The first guy's right. If they refer to themselves as a "family" that's manager-speak for "We're going to ask you to treat us with the same devotion you give your kids or your parents".
Natalie Williams 3 years ago (edited)
Unlimited PTO = you'll never have time to take it and we won't have to pay it out when you leave.
Claire Stanfield 3 years ago
If there seems to be no specific interest in you as an applicant and they're willing to start you same day or they seem overly desperate to get you working ASAP, they might have turnover problems and be looking for the next person with a pulse. Don't do it.
Jeweled Dragon 3 years ago
Reading posts like this makes me feel lucky to work where I work. The coworkers and managers actually are like a family, in a positive way. The policy for time off requests is that if you schedule a day off three weeks in advance, you are guaranteed to get it. If you need a day off after the three week mark, you can talk to your manager and they are more than happy to arrange it for you. They deliberately overbook most days so if someone ends up not being able to come in they won't be short-staffed and the person needing time off won't feel pressured to come in when they are sick, or if there is a family emergency.
Wise beauty 3 years ago
I feel like the overall message of these people hiring is “we’ll pay you less than minimum wage for your soul.”
Adrian 3 years ago
Because every boss has only one story about all his weird subordinates. Similarly, every subordinate has a story about weird bosses. There are a lot more employees than bosses - hence waaay more stories about weird bosses - its just statistics.
Load More Replies... Grady'sRaider 3 years ago
Sometimes the fertilizer hits the fan after you quit your last job and on the first day is. Your 8-5 job in the interview is "We work here until 6." You must be able to work with women, in the interview, is far from the professional mature women you worked with, but rather now the group of mean girls from junior high who were never socialized any further.
Jess-a-men 3 years ago (edited)
Always remember: If an employer uses the word "family" to describe a job, they do not mean the kind of family where a sweet granny bakes you cookies. They mean the type of family where a guy with a black suit and a rose on his lapel offers to do you a favour.
Carol Emory 3 years ago
And "Expected to work some weekends" means you will be working every Saturday and Sunday for the remainder of your time here. Had a former employer that was the owner. She said she expected everyone to work as hard as her. Guess that only applied to the weekdays because, while we were at the shop dealing with hordes of dogs needing grooming, she was on a boat with her kids in another state.
TrickQuestion 3 years ago
From employees: "At least we have a job" NO. Don't just accept being treated badly just because it's work.
Destiny Kruse 3 years ago
The first guy's right. If they refer to themselves as a "family" that's manager-speak for "We're going to ask you to treat us with the same devotion you give your kids or your parents".
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