Someone Asked How To Spot A Toxic Workplace During Interviews, And The Responses Will Have You Shouting Amen Or WTF

BuzzFeed
·5-min read

I'm sure you've heard of Ask Reddit, where people can ask the internet just about anything. Some people get life advice, others go back-and-forth about their favorite shows, and a lot of people vent about their relationships.

Bo Burnham on a talk show set, gesturing with both hands
TBS / Conan

Recently, u/chantal_goldi asked, "What are the little-noticed red lines in the interview that indicate it would be a bad place to work?"

A Love Island contestant says, that was like a red flag for me
PeacockTV / Love Island

And responders kept it veryyy real about the red flags they've experienced in job interviews. Trust me, these are things you probably wish you knew before taking your first job:

1."They ever say, 'We are family here.' Fucking run."

Andy Samberg's character from "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" says, this workplace is my family. Was that not clear
NBC / Brooklyn 99

2."When you are asked, 'Are you going to get pregnant anytime soon?'"

—u/RadiantRosessss 

3."Being told, 'We’re so happy to finally have an Asian employee!'"

—u/KellyM14 

4."If you get a job at a mom and pop place where everyone is related by blood or marriage, it’s not going to go well for you."

"You can’t complain about anything anyone does, you’ll be working way harder than everyone else, and they’re still going to talk shit about you no matter what."—u/Tangboy50000 

5."I once interviewed at a place that bragged about how they had showers, a rec room, a kitchen, and entertainment room in their downstairs area."

A woman looks distressed while sitting in bed. The caption reads, you showered

"Me: 'You guys do a lot of weekend work and all-nighters?' Let the backpedaling begin. They extended an offer. No thanks."—u/bbum

HBO / Euphoria

6."Whenever they drill down the, 'How do you deal with difficult personalities?' line."

"If they bring specifics they have a particular asshole in mind you'll be stuck dealing with."—u/nmathew

7."I went to a job interview where they bragged about their high turnover as a kind of, 'You have to be tough to work here' kind of thing."

Dan Hooker post-fight interview in UFC Octagon with Joe Rogan
UFC

8."At one job interview they asked me three or four times something that essentially can be summarized as, 'What do you do if one of the customers starts harassing you?'"

"If they feel the need to ask that repeatedly, I don't think I want that job."—u/ROBANN_88 

9."I had an interview recently where the interviewer said it was really surprising that I've not had conflicts with my past coworkers."

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., wearing a suit, stands at a podium during a speech with the text "There would be no war" displayed at the bottom

10."At an interview I stopped in the middle and left."

"'We want people who will work the long hours, we are a fast-paced environment.' Me: (blurted out before I could stop myself): 'Are you understaffed or just inefficient?'"—u/goblinmarketeer

11."We work hard, we play hard. Translation: 'It's an 80 hour week, we encourage functional alcoholism.'"

A person in sunglasses and a red hat is singing with the text "work hard, play hard" visible below
Atlantic Records

12."Interviewer: 'Every once in awhile the manager just sends everyone home early, or even just gives tomorrow off!'"

"Translation: 'We work until 3 a.m., 12 days in a row, because our company doesn't plan for deadlines very well."—u/CatOfGrey 

13."The interview experience itself."

Steve Carell as Michael Scott smiling and saying "This is the worst!" in a scene from The Office

14."They won't show you the room where you'll be working."

"Nobody is smiling (or they're TOO friendly)."—u/wilderlowerwolves

15."When you ask, 'What do you like about working here?' and the interviewer starts talking about the workplace (like it's the best place in the world!)"

"They're not really talking about the job itself."—u/tiny_mouss

16."You proceed all the way to the offer stage without ever speaking to any of your future teammates."

Steve Carell's character from "The Office" saying, Why don’t you explain this to me like I’m five?
NBC / The Office

17."If you are already having issues with HR even before starting the job."

"They offered me the job but then took months to actually send the contract. It was up to me to keep emailing HR about that and even so, when I finally got it there were errors in there...I knew that I would have to work closely with the HR person in some projects and that was already a red flag, but I still took the job anyway. Turns out, the documentation involving that person was always delayed and with errors, which made my job very difficult."—u/Dawnphoenix23 

18."If they're too enthusiastic to hire you, or seem to be rushing you to join. Always a red flag!"

Woman with blonde hair directly pointing to the camera, with the text "I SEE YOU" and animated eyes overlayed. Decorative items on shelves in the background
Jump Consulting

19."How much everyone hates the person you just replaced."

—u/astralboy15

20."My wife was offered a captain position with a sheriff's office. Everyone on one shift had less than a year of experience and the shift sergeant had a year of experience."

"That was a huge red flag. We talked about it on the drive home and decided it wouldn’t be a good fit. Too many red flags." —u/R1CHARDCRANIUM 

21."The work culture is centered around the founders or the CEO, is one of the more blatant ones."

Seth Meyers sits at a news desk on a studio set
NBC / Late Night With Seth Meyers

22.And finally, "Check out what cars the employees can afford."

"Dented pieces of junk, mid range or mostly newer??"—u/jennifer3333 

What are some red flags you've noticed in job interviews? Let us know in the comments!

H/T: r/AskReddit

Some replies have been edited for length and clarity.

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