15 Ways to Spot a Toxic Work Environment Before You Take the Job
Plus, seven questions you can ask to reveal red flags during your interview.
By Jessica Thomas • Originally published
When you apply for a job, you want your resume and interviews to showcase your experience in the best possible light. The companies you're applying to are no different. From intro calls with hiring managers to the interview with your potential future boss, everyone you talk to wants you to see the best parts of working there — and maybe wants to gloss over the not-so-great parts.
Every job is going to have positive and negative aspects to it, but a toxic work environment could have serious ramifications on your mental and physical health.
Related: Important Soft Skills and Leadership Practices for Navigating the Virtual Workplace
In a July article in Harvard Business Review, Manuela Priesemuth, a professor of management at Villanova University who studies workplaces, wrote: "My own research has shown that abusive behavior, especially when displayed by leaders, can spread throughout the organization, creating entire climates of abuse. Because employees look to and learn from managers, they come to understand that this type of interpersonal mistreatment is acceptable behavior in the company. In essence, employees start to think that "this is how it's done around here,' and this belief manifests itself in a toxic environment that tolerates abusive acts."
Extricating yourself from a toxic workplace is hard, though, because it involves starting the job search all over again. It's better to avoid an abusive office environment in the first place.
Resume.io researched some of the classic warning signs you should look for when interviewing for a job, as well as seven questions you can ask to reveal if a workplace is toxic or not. Read through the infographic below to see what to look for.
