Avoiding Taking a Sewage Bath – How to Steer Clear of The Toxic Workplace

There is a scene in the otherwise forgettable Lampoon Vacation 2015 installment, aptly named Vacation where a grown up Rusty Griswold takes his family on a vacation. At some point they decide to enjoy a nice dip in a quaint little forest pond and well…you can see for yourself…

So how do you avoid swimming in the proverbial raw sewage that we call the toxic work environment? Maybe that shitty stench is not natural minerals but actual…shit. As someone once told me, “if it smells like shit, looks like shit and tastes like shit….it ain’t apple pie!”

However, sometimes the difference is not as clear as you would think…

Many candidates forget in the desperation of job hunting that the interview process is not just trying to land the job. They focus on how they impress the interviewer and prepare for questions like it is a beauty contest. It is also the candidate’s job to interview the company for compatibility.

Desperation can make you do funny things though. Say you want to move to a certain city and you are desperate to get out of your one-horse town. Maybe you jump at the first job that is offered to you. This happens all the time in the dating world. It’s probably why so many relationships are messed up—because they never should have progressed to that level in the first place!

What are some of the red flags to look out for in an interview?

1) High turnover. If the department, the company or the position you are applying for has high turnover, run! If the Office Manager position has had 4 people in the last 3 years then there is a reason. Maybe the expectations are unrealistic. Maybe the job has no upward mobility. Perhaps the boss is an unreasonable douche canoe. Ask how long the prior person was in the position before it became open.

2) Bad reviews. Check out glassdoor.com. Research the company and see what other people say who have worked there before. There are always going to be disgruntled people who are pissed off that they got canned for banging the boss’ stepchild, and they will lash out with bad reviews. So, look for patterns in the reviews and make sure you aren’t just reading the ranting of a psychopath who got caught stealing lunches (and it takes a true psycho to be a lunch thief).

3) Ask questions of the interviewer and your potential boss. Ask about their management style and how they run the department. Interview them like you are going to hire them to manage a department. It’s amazing how people will let their guard down as they love to talk about themselves.

4) Don’t ever accept an offer on the spot. Take at least 24 hours to mull it over and do your research! If anyone offers a job on the spot they are desperate because they cannot attract or retain personnel.

5) Try to talk to some of your potential peers in the department if possible. It doesn’t hurt to ask to talk to someone else in the department so as to get an idea for the work environment. If the interviewer seems reluctant, guarded or uneasy, then this is a red flag.

6) Read the body language of the people you talk to. Do they look weary, beat down and defeated? Is there general energy or anxiety? Are they high strung and uptight?

What are some other questions that one can ask?

1) How long have you been here?
2) What keeps you here?
3) What is the tenure of everyone in the department?
4) Do people get together outside of work?
5) Does the company do social events together?
6) What sorts of things does the company to keep morale positive?
7) Would you say this is a fun place to work? Why?

Hopefully, some of these tips will help you to identify the toxic work environment. Despite that, it is still possible to get duped. Some employers will roll out the red carpet. Much like the psycho in the honeymoon phase who is the sweetest most romantic person in the world who ends up being an abusive asshole, you can be tricked into a dysfunctional and destructive relationship. My next entries will discuss how to survive a toxic environment and then how to get out of it!