A company with a bad culture quickly festers into a toxic work environment for its employees. A company might be financially rewarding but present an unhealthy work environment that hinders career growth and overall health. A work environment that makes employees feel unappreciated for their effort, endangers their physical health, under-pays them and stifles professional growth has a bad company culture. Here are signs to look out for in a company with a bad culture
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A Revolving Door
A company that is unable to retain its employees for a long period is clearly not doing something right. It helps to speak with some of the employees who are leaving the organisation, and if the turnover rate is so high, it won’t be hard to find one ex-employee willing to share why they left the company so quickly after being hired. It is necessary to spot the streak before you get sucked into a bad company culture
Odd Interview Process
You often get an indication of a company’s culture right from the interview process. When you have to wait for the interview to start later than it was scheduled, this is a bad sign. Sometimes, interviews seem to lack depth, exposing the panel’s lack of knowledge about the role being advertised. An interview should at least have the head of the department or the potential supervisor to display knowledge and ask relevant questions. The absence of this should make you want to reconsider a career in the company
Unfulfillment
When you notice that many people in an organisation seem unhappy to either get to work or even perform assigned tasks, that is a bad sign. A company whose employees impatiently wait for the closing time, and seem unwilling to do more than is required of them is most likely housing a bunch of disillusioned staff. Such an environment is toxic to physical and mental health and should be avoided as much as possible
Lack of flexibility
Companies depend heavily on their human assets and as such, should make provisions for challenges such as health problems, bereavement, maternity and other such factors. A company that does not have flexible policies to cater for such situations does not care much for its workforce. That is a bad company culture.
Messy space
If the general workspace is messy, it is indicative of the prevailing company culture. It betrays the staff’s lack of concern for the workspace and unwillingness to harness a congenial working environment. It also shows that those in charge do not care much to maintain an environment that will harness better working conditions for their workers.
Lack of respect
A company that values its workers and their contribution to overall output shows it in how it treats the workers. If the working environment is devoid of respect for the dignity, skills and contributions of the workers, it is not a great place to have a career. For many people, a successful career is an integral part of their journey to self-actualisation. So if the working environment does not enrich their personal development, it is toxic and should be avoided immediately
