How to Tell If a Prospective Workplace Is Toxic

by 

• Mita Mallick

 for Harvard Business Review

Early on in my career, I was thrilled to get a call from one of the top global beauty brands to interview for a marketing role. I had applied online and remember the recruiter aggressively insisting that I come to their office to interview with less than 48 hours’ notice. I called in sick to my then-employer and went into the prospective company’s office to meet with 11 individuals for 11 separate interviews.

The interview schedule was back to back. They didn’t offer me a break for lunch, nor did they offer me coffee, tea, or even a glass of water as I met with employees one after the other. When I asked to use the bathroom, one of the interviewers seemed annoyed to have to swipe their badge and escort me to the other side of the hall. When I finally met with the person who would be my boss, he was 15 minutes late (which happened in four of the other interviews as well, with no apology). He went back and forth between seeming disinterested while scrolling on his phone and talking over me when I attempted to answer his questions.

When I was offered the role the very next day, the recruiter said I had to let him know my decision by 5 p.m. or the offer would expire. Anxious that I would lose it, I called him back to accept — without negotiating or asking any questions. I ignored all the red flags before and during the interview process, and I would discover plenty more while working there. It would turn out to be one of the most toxic workplaces I’ve ever experienced in my career.

What Makes a Workplace Toxic?

In a recent FlexJobs survey of 2,600 American workers, 42% of respondents said they were seriously considering quitting their jobs, and 20% said they had quit recently. A toxic workplace culture was the number-three reason workers gave for wanting to quit. And the American Psychological Association’s 2023 Work in America workforce survey found that 22% of employees said their work environment has “harmed their mental health.” Finally, research shows that the repetitive stress from abuse in the workplace can even lead to physical health issues like heart disease and cancer.

When you’re working in a toxic workplace, the signs might be fairly easy to recognize: yelling and bullying, lots of gossip, and unsustainable workloads are a few common hallmarks. In a recent study, researchers looked through more than 1.3 million Glassdoor reviews and identified five attributes of a toxic corporate culture: They’re disrespectful, non-inclusive, unethical, cutthroat, and abusive.

How to Tell If a Prospective Workplace Is Toxic

Identifying toxicity in an organization you don’t currently work for can prove to be tricky. If you’re trying to leave a toxic workplace but don’t do your due diligence on future employers, you could end up back in another miserable environment. Here are three things to watch out for to stop yourself from joining a toxic workplace.

A bad interview process

“A bad candidate experience is a window into the company culture,” says Joel Lalgee, founder of The Realest Recruiter. “Poor communication from the recruiter, ghosting, and endless rounds of interviews are just some of the red flags that there may be multiple things broken within the company.” Other signs an organization is toxic include starting and pausing the interviewing process with a candidate, then re-engaging months later; being inflexible on interview dates and times; changing the job description substantially in the middle of the process; and pressuring candidates to accept offers the day of.

Based on Laglee’s years of expertise in recruiting, most reasonable companies will give candidates a week to respond to an offer.

There may also be red flags on display during the actual interviews, as I experienced. Interrupting or dismissing answers, talking more than listening, showing up excessively late with no apologies, checking devices, and being distracted can also be signs of toxicity. Remember, interviews are a chance for both the candidate and the hiring committee to assess one another. As Maya Angelou once famously said, “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.” If your interviewers aren’t showing up on their best behavior, it could be a sign of things to come if you chose to join the company.

What current employees say — and don’t say

Listen carefully to the responses current employees give when you ask questions about the role, the specific team you’d be joining, and the overall organization.

Some people may tell you exactly what their experience has been like, including the good, the bad, and the ugly. I once had an interviewer tell me at the end of our Zoom that she was confidentially looking for another job and wouldn’t recommend me joining the company. She didn’t hold back from telling me she was leaving because of how dysfunctional the team was.

But most individuals who are still employed by the organization won’t be so candid about working in a toxic environment. But you can study and read between the lines of what they say and don’t say

Watch out for language like the following, and don’t be afraid to ask follow-up questions to get further clarity and details:

• “Sure, the team is small. But there’s a huge opportunity to really drive and own things and make an impact.” This could be a sign that the team is understaffed, under-resourced, and overworked, particularly if they’re backfilling for roles when others have left. Follow up and ask: “How have your budget and resources changed over the last three years? Have you increased or decreased headcount on the team?”
• “We are pretty flat and don’t place much importance on titles.” This could be a sign that individuals are under-titled and/or underpaid relative to the market. Follow up and ask: “How do you think about how you reward and compensate individuals in an organization that is flat?”
• “We believe in a meritocracy. Our employees are judged on performance alone. Everyone has a chance to succeed here.” This could be a sign that given the DEI backlash in the marketplace, the organization no longer invests in DEI efforts or values inclusion as a driver of the business. Follow up and ask: “What role does diversity, equity, and inclusion play in your organization to help ensure that everyone is treated fairly and equitably?”
• “There’s a lot of change that’s happened in the last year to get the organization to a better place.” This could be a sign that there’s still a lack of vision from management on the direction of the company, which could lead to more turmoil and turnover. Follow up and ask: “Can you tell me more about the change you experienced last year and how that has helped the organization get to a better place?”
• “We believe in employees owning their own career development.” This could be a sign that there’s not much support in terms of career advancement or resources for learning and development. Follow up and ask: “Can you provide some examples of how you have seen employees successfully own their careers at your organization?”

Lots of employees seem to be leaving, not joining

“There’s a lot of opportunity for growth here,” a recruiter once said to me enthusiastically, after approaching me for an open role at their company. “We have a number of openings you would be a great fit for.”

A lot of openings could be a sign of growth, including expanding current products or services or entering into new lines of business. It could also signal significant turnover due to toxicity, especially if the same openings keep showing up in a specific department or division. If organizations can’t retain talent and individuals are moving on often and quickly, this could be a sign that something else is going on inside the company.

In the case of the recruiter who had reached out to me, it was due to turnover: lots of employees leaving and few joining. I came to this conclusion after looking through openings on the company’s website and searching through LinkedIn. I found people on LinkedIn with the exact job title I was being asked to interview for who had stayed less than a year (in two cases, only six months). I also noticed a significant number of openings on their website across two specific locations. I couldn’t find any significant changes to the business (e.g., an acquisition or expansion into a new product line) from my research and the information the recruiter provided. I then reached out to a former employee on LinkedIn to ask if they would tell me more about their experience. They offered the following piece of advice, “Run, don’t walk,” and let me know turnover was due to two toxic leaders in those locations.

If you want to understand if a company has high turnover rates, you can look through what roles are currently posted and set up job alerts by company on sites like Indeed and LinkedIn and track which roles are being posted and how often. If the same roles are being posted regularly, that can be another red flag that the company’s culture is toxic.

Glassdoor reviews can also be an important resource for assessing an organization’s toxicity. Of course, not everyone’s experience at an organization will be your experience. And research has shown that individuals are more likely to share feedback online when they have a very positive or very negative experience, so keep in mind that there will be bias in the reviews.

But where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and if you see the same themes come up over and over again about a toxic culture, it’s worth paying attention to. You can also message people in your network on LinkedIn who worked at the organization and ask if they would be willing to share their experience with you. I’ve found many people on LinkedIn to be generous with their time and advice. Just as many organizations want to do reference checks on candidates, this is your opportunity to do reference checks on your future employer.

. . .

You may be excited to move forward to your next opportunity, particularly if you’re trying to leave an unhealthy work environment. But don’t ignore the signs that may be right in front of you. Spotting red flags could help prevent you from joining a toxic workplace and steer you to a healthier and more supportive environment.