Warning Signs of a Toxic Work Environment
Here are some tips to look out for when either assessing your current workplace environment, or looking at new career opportunities with other organizations.
1. Do your due diligence and research on the company.
2. If you interview in person, check out their energy (do they have happy or focused faces, how does their leader acknowledge others, do people look stressed or more than normal, what’s their overall vibe). Let’s be honest, construction has its stressful days, but if the environment just doesn’t feel right then make that assessment.
3. How does the head “honcho” behave, do they cut more junior people off mid-sentence, do they arrive late without acknowledgment- and are their disrespectful comments viewed as humor, etc.
4. Are they good listeners, do they seem like they genuinely care, are they asking you questions or seem interested, are they engaged when you are speaking, are they “present” in the conversation?
5. Watch for euphemisms such as “work hard play hard” could mean – “we have billiard tables and free snacks and drinks if you spend your nights in the office”.
6. Check for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Not just if they have some text in their web page about it, but if it exists and celebrated in their corporate culture.
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