The Great Resignation is alive and well — nearly 4.3 million people quit their jobs in January trying to run away from toxic culture, entitled bosses, and burnout. Although it’s a difficult time for businesses, some workers also feel quite stressed while looking for better opportunities, fearing ending up in the “same company, different name” kind of situation.

Luckily, the internet is here to lend a helping hand. User taylortaylortaylorrr decided to ease the pressure for people on their job hunting journey. They asked members of Ask Reddit to share the signs from an employer that people might not immediately recognize as a red flag. Two months later, more than 18.4K people voiced their precious knowledge.

From asking “Do you plan to have children?” to saying “Nobody works here for the money”, Bored Panda wrapped up some of the things people should be on the lookout for before signing on the dotted line. Scroll down to read these pieces of advice, upvote your favorites, and share your own experiences with us in the comments!

#1

Asking if you are somebody who’s “willing to put in the time to make sure deadlines are met/work is done” or if you’re “the type of person who leaves when the ‘workday’ is finished?”.

This is generally corporate speak for “we will be forcing you to work unpaid overtime”.

Image credits: rockkicker27

#2

Asking if I planned to have children in the interview (I was 19)

Image credits: votefawnmoscato

#3

A couple old senior partners, lots of young employees and nothing in between.

That means there’s no opportunity to move up, they can’t get people to stay, and can’t get lateral transfers. They work young folks for as long as they can, and the young folks leave once they figure out the company sucks.

Image credits: Thirty_Helens_Agree

#4

‘Nobody works here for the money.’

Why should they work there, then?

Image credits: [deleted]

#5

Additional s***ty law firm red flags:

The firm gives you a free dinner from a nice restaurant if you have to stay after 7

gym in the office

free daycare services

You need to keep an extra suit in the office.

Free laundry service

unlimited time off

Translation: you will never leave the office.

Image credits: ohio_redditor

#6

I always ask the question “why is this role open? Is it a new role, or am I replacing someone? Why did that person leave?” This really helps you seeing their reaction and if they look nervous it’s because the person who left did it because they were not happy.

I also like asking how “senior” my team members are, if there’s noone there more than 2 years I would also be concerned.

Final question, as I work in sales, I always ask “what’s the KPIs and how many are actually hitting their quarterly and annual target?” This also reveals if they set their targets too high and you can expect to enter a grim working culture where you’re never “good enough” and can always “do better”.

Last one, I like asking about how they are working to establish a team culture as well, since this will tell you a lot if people at work are “friends” or just there to do their job

Image credits: mfgfvd

#7

They claim that overtime isn’t mandatory and workers stay longer by choice.

Image credits: howwouldiknow–

#8

Everybody is very young in a very old company.

Image credits: Flyinpotatoman

#9

If the job description has a nondescriptively massive salary range

($25,000-$100,000)

Image credits: JetSetJAK

#10

When you don’t get a review until you ask for a raise. Then, all of a sudden, you work is being questioned and you’re being berated.

Image credits: Joeyjackhammer

#11

Is money the only reason you work??????

Yes. Yes it is.

Image credits: EmperorPenguinNJ

#12

The job title says they’re looking to hire “rock stars.”

Image credits: Marquetan

#13

Interview question someone actually asked me: “What would you do if I told you at 3 PM on a Friday that I really needed something done by Monday morning that would take 36 hours of coding?”

I told him “I would tell you to find someone who works weekends and walk out the door.”

Image credits: heili

#14

“The company doesn’t pay for coffee, employees chip in if they want it in the office”… yeah if you are too cheap to provide coffee, I will never get a raise.

Image credits: really-good-point

#15

When they refuse to tell you what your starting salary would be or when they just avoid the question all together. Like I didn’t apply to the job to be apart of some “family” work culture, I came here to get a job and be paid.

Image credits: UnknownL_13

#16

“We work hard, but play hard around here”
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Image credits: F**kYeahPhotography

#17

Had an interview somewhere they offered 20-23 starting. Being new in this field, when they asked how much I was expecting to be paid I said “well you guys are offering 20-23 starting and being new in the field I think 20 would be good.”

Their response was “oh….well that’s kind of a red flag for us….usually when someone starts with us they’ll say ‘I’ll take 17 dollars until I can prove to you that I’m worth the $20’ so you’ll see why we’re hesitant.”

My response “then why would you offer $20 at your low end?”

I didn’t get a call back.

Image credits: LordMarshall

#18

The quality of the Toilet paper in the bathroom. There are minimal if any cost savings to 1 ply and it just shows they couldn’t care about you at all.

Image credits: Siveri16

#19

“Sorry no money for your annual raise due to the pandemic”

It’s a lie.

Image credits: MEDICARE_FOR_ALL

#20

“Work hard, play hard” – you will work so hard, you and your colleagues will need to get totally f**ked up at happy hours to cope with the stress.

Image credits: msor504

#21

Poor communication during the hiring process.

Image credits: PioneerDingus

#22

I know people (rightfully) like to hate on HR, but if a company brags about “not having an HR department to deal with,” expect them to be very disorganized at a minimum.

Image credits: abolish_gender

#23

At my job interview I got asked “how do you deal with drama in the workplace?” Looking back, I was so stupid to accept that job.

Image credits: 24204me

#24

“Competitive pay” but they wont tell you what the pay actually is in the posting or even the interview

Image credits: topothesia773

#25

Whenever an ad says “Flexible schedule”, it never ever means that you can work when you want. It always means that they can schedule you any time week to week without giving you any consistency.

Image credits: Ok-Advantage4191

#26

The “sink or swim” technique. It was my first day as a cashier, I got a couple of hours of training, then I was by myself and we were dead. All of a sudden this rush came in and I was asking for help. The manager goes “sink or swim, we’re busy back here, figure it out.”

Lol I did but let me tell you customers were not happy because I still didn’t know how to properly enter in orders, especially modifications.

Image credits: I_am_dean

#27

MULTIPLE MANAGERS TO REPORT TO*

If you’re being interviewed/hired and they tell you have/will have multiple managers to report to. Basically if there is not a clear chain of command. What’ll happen is eventually one manager’s directions, goals or instructions will conflict with the other’s, and you’ll get caught in the middle of it. And one or both will use it against you in performance reviews.

Image credits: Orpheus6102

#28

Listing something like “fast-paced environment” as a benefit

Image credits: Calkky

#29

When learning new things doesn’t equate to making more money leave

Image credits: [deleted]

#30

Overall poor ratings from bad employee reviews on Glassdoor. Seriously – that site exists to give employees a place to review their employer anonymously. Use that info.

Image credits: graffing

#31

When you try to call in sick and your bosses immediately jump to asking ‘why?’ Or interrogating how you’re sick.

Image credits: AsianBoat69

#32

Two years working for the company and I asked for a raise. Now suddenly I have the owners wife all over me digging into everything I have done and just making my life miserable

Image credits: MrsKendrickson

#33

The phrase “we all wear a lot of hats” it’s corporate speak for we are cheap bastards that make you do things outside your job description

Image credits: IDhl89

#34

Family owned businesses where several are working there.

You will never be well paid or promoted. There’s going to be a few siblings there that do absolutely nothing, but are going to be well paid. There are content just turning people over forever underneath them, but dangling a carrot.

Image credits: listerine411

#35

Having to take an online IQ test before even being considered for an interview.

Backstory: when I moved to Australia, I was looking for work as a language teacher. I went in Monster.com and found an advert saying that they were looking for teachers for gifted children, but that I needed to take an online IQ test to apply (needed an IQ above 125 to go for an interview). I took the test, sent in my CV and cover letter, and waited. An hour later I get an email asking to meet at a special cafe in downtown Melbourne the following day.

So, I go and notice that this building was a Free Mason building and that one needed a special pass to get in. There was a little older lady waiting for me in a tacky floral print shirt and a white fisherman’s hat. Immediately, she pardoned herself for wearing that hat, explaining that it was lined with aluminum to protect her from the cell phone radiation. I think nothing of it and order a coffee.

Off the bat, the old lady tells me about how she has an IQ of 160 and the rarest blood type, similar to that of Tutankhamen… She goes on and on about this for a while and then begins explaining the job. She tells me that in the beginning, I wouldn’t be teaching but administering tests in schools around Queensland to recruit children to special camps, where then I would be teaching.

The whole thing screamed red flags, but I politely listened and got her business card if ever I had further questions (I got a proposal on the spot). I looked at the card and it said “The wise ones”. After looking it up, I noticed that it was a cult (similar to that of Universal Medicine)

Image credits: Flaky_Sandwich9353

#36

Two or three really nice cars in the parking lot, and the rest are beaters.

Image credits: coffa_cuppee

#37

-The CEO/boss/whatever drives a conspicuously expensive car. I can elaborate why this is a tell if anyone cares.

-If it’s a private/family company, do a Google search for ‘[company name] defendant’ and ‘[company name] plaintiff’. If the company has been sued, or is in the habit of suing others, that can be a red flag- although something there are legit reasons for either. But it’s something worth paying attention to.

-If when you are asked to come in for an interview, you are not treated with total respect for your time- for example, if you find yourself waiting for extended periods for an interview because ‘so and so is in a really important meeting’. Similarly, if you are not offered at least water and/or coffee if you’re in for several interviews. I once interviewed at a place for seven straight hours with no break, no food, not even a glass of water. Fortunately I wasn’t offered the job as it was at Michael Milken’s firm… before he went to prison.

-If the company brings alcohol into the office for ‘end of week’ sessions on a regular basis. I know they can be fun but it’s a stupendously bad idea for all kinds of reasons and if leadership hasn’t figured that out then I’d think twice before joining.

-If when you’re visiting the company for the first time and you pass someone in a hallway, do they smile and acknowledge your presence with a nod or maybe a hello, or do they ignore you? It’s a small thing but very telling about the workplace culture. Similarly, do people seem ‘healthy and energized’ or ‘grey-faced and tired’?

-ANY ‘bait and switch’ deviations from representations made during the recruiting process vs actual terms/conditions.

-If it’s a job in a manufacturing or distribution facility, is it messy or tidy? Messy, cluttered facilities are indicative of poor management, plus they can be dangerous.

-As others have noted, any B.S. about ‘oh people like to work late’ or stuff like that used as pressure to get you to put in extra hours.

-Last, pay attention to your gut feel. If something feels ‘off’, it probably is.

Image credits: snootfull

#38

Having to buy your own uniform and/or equipment.

Image credits: HumblSnekOilSalesman

#39

Old Machinists: Why doesn’t anyone want to work, we can never keep any of these lazy millennials!

Also old machinists: I’m not gonna teach you anything, you little s**t, you’re just gonna leave in a month anyway

Young new hire: Wow, this is a terrible place to work, buhbye

Image credits: ClubMeSoftly

#40

“We’re a family here”

No. We’re co-workers. I don’t love you. I wouldn’t do anything for you. We have boundaries.

Image credits: level 1 [deleted]

#41

I’m working in a company that’s decade old but everyone has been in the company for about 4-5 months max. Only the HR has been there for 7-8 years. And honestly, with the s**t they are pulling off, I can see why people don’t stay even to complete their probation period.

Image credits: wanderslut0626

#42

They ask the employees to do stuff that’s not at all their job. For instance, I am in digital team but they want me to perform the tasks that a sales person would do. And they don’t even provide the training for it.

Image credits: wanderslut0626

#43

The kindest thing an HR person has ever done for me was be truthful in an interview when I asked what the typical work week looked like. It was a new manufacturing facility and they were getting off the ground and they said typically 60-70 hours weeks were expected. Made my decision much easier between that and another job.

Image credits: LetItHappenAlready

#44

I was 22 when I was asked in depth about my marriage (wore a ring to the interview) and then whether or not I wanted kids. I was taken aback and unfortunately answered truthfully that possibly in the future we would. No call back.

Ended up being a good thing – turns out the owner was nuts and prone to tantrums and weird freak outs. Shot himself in the head there at the office one day years prior to the interview – it was a failed attempt.

Bullet dodged – literally and metaphorically.

Image credits: CatLadyLostInLibrary

#45

Anything that the manager says in the interview that doesn’t line up with the job description..

“yea we posted it’s a manager level position, but this is actually a coordinator role”.

“yea the description says travel is 25% but it might be closer to 50 it just depends”.

“We did post it as a remote job, but we prefer people to be in the office X days a week”

“Yea we phrase it that way in the job description because corporate says we have to”

All of those are red flags. ANYTHING a company is vague about should be a red flag.

Image credits: coolguytrav

#46

When an employee quits or gets fired from the job and the company doesn’t hire anyone new to replace them.

It can be hard to tell as a red flag at first, but the temporary workload they added to your own over that was left over after the person left, slowly becomes your new permanent workload, without any changes to your pay or benefits to compensate for the additional tasks. The further out it goes without the position being filled, the larger and more obvious the red flag becomes.

Image credits: The_Quicktrigger

#47

Open interviews. It tells me that people leave faster than you can bring them in, and with good reason.

Image credits: T-money79

#48

If you get a tour and everything is old but they say “they’re in the process of updating” yeah no they don’t update s**t. Your going to be working with broken out dates equipment. 9/10 your going to get in trouble when it breaks on you.

Image credits: [deleted]

#49

I interviewed once at a very huge organization that had a site in the town I was living in, and these guys were so proud of the new top of the line facilities. When they took me on a tour they pointed out the lovely zen garden area that was made for employees to go “unwind and clear their heads”. The problem with it was this area was positioned directly across from all the higher ups offices. Yeah… no.

Image credits: theWildBore

#50

Managers and leaders that are incompetent or clueless. A good company does not let a person of this quality into their management team.

The hiring manager is the face of the company to potential candidates. If this person does not impress you, neither will the rest of the company’s managers.

Image credits: CowsRpeople2

#51

“Instead of making the hourly wage, I’d like to offer you our ‘spliff’ compensation instead. You could make 85K a year!” (it was a $15 an hour job).

Image credits: iScoopPoop

#52

My contract was ending and my boss asked me if I would like to renew it because he was very happy with my work. I asked him for some feedback and he said that everything is going great. Then, I asked him for a raise, and suddenly my statistics (that were never mentioned to me or my coworkers before that conversation) were terrible, and I was the second worst employee in the company. Tomorrow is my last day and I’m already working in a different place.

EDIT: just an edit to add that a lot of people are confused about my boss’s behaviour and it can all be explained as – he is a pseudo personal coach. He always tried to manipulate me in the dumbest possible ways, but I took it because I love(d) my job and I only had to talk with him once a month.

Image credits: SlideComfortable

#53

Optional Overtime always offered – you’ll always be pressured

Family environment – will use your sense of guilt against you.

Needing people who plan to stay – turnover is high, be prepared to leave in less than a year

Image credits: Mr_Darthrex

#54

To me it was a ” we will start you low and will give you a ton of money later” they never do. Never happens

Image credits: zbysior

#55

Turned out they expected people to work 7 days a week and work until 11pm every day (though they said “we try to keep it light on the weekends”). The red flag was when they said that people do this by choice.

Image credits: MiyagiJunior

#56

Trying to rush a decision out of you once the offer is made.

I once interviewed with a company where I would have been relocating across the country to work for them. There were 3 rounds of interviews and they left me completely in the dark for weeks on end between each round before inviting me to the next round within just a few days of when the interview would take place. After the final interview it was over a month of silence from them until they made an offer but told me I had less than 24 hours to let them know my decision. I would have been moving 2,000 miles away from home to a place I had never been or even seen before (interviews were completely virtual). They wanted me to start 6 days after the offer had been made. When I asked if there was any flexibility for me to have more time to think it over or have more time to move out there, they said no. They needed the decision the next day and if I accepted I would be starting in less than a week. I declined the offer.

Image credits: aattanasio2014

#57

There’s a misery wall when walking into work. When you pass a certain point in the building the feeling changes significantly. If you know, you know.

Image credits: PeachLeech

#58

I was interviewing at Wayfair, in the corporate office. I was in their normal waiting room, everything was fine and dandy. Then I was sent to sit outside an office near the back of the place where my interviews were going to be held. I sat there three minutes, looked around at people, had a sense of dread, and left. I walked out and told the receptionist “I can’t do this here. It’s not what I want” and left.

I got called three times after that asking if I wanted to reschedule. They seemed way desperate.

Image credits: gimmealldat

#59

Any job ad that doesn’t mention the name of the company should raise suspicions, doubly so if it’s anything to do with sales. Got done by that trick once. Turned up to the interview and the ‘job’ was going door to door selling vacuums for Kirby vacuums.

Image credits: satisfiedfools

#60

I once had a job that required a “working interview” as the final step in the interview process. I basically worked an entire day for free.

Image credits: taylortaylortaylorrr

#61

“Unlimited time off” means that you will never be taking time off, ever. Management will judge the hell out of you for attempting to take a mental health day or a vacation. The people who take the least time off will wear it like a badge of honor.

The last place I worked like this, the owner would lecture us every year about how he’s never taken Thanksgiving or Christmas off, and look how well the company is doing! Then he’d give you the stink eye when you wanted to take off to be with your family for those holidays.

Image credits: OrganicMasonJars

#62

I went on an interview. They had me wait in the lobby.

In the 5 minutes I was sitting there, three employees walked past me. The first just looked at me and laughed. The second said “Leave. Leave while you can.” The third made the sign of the cross at me.

Later, during the interview, the hiring manager showed me the “zen room”, which was a quiet room you got to go to for 10 minutes when you got too stressed out.

I was offered the job. I declined

Edit:

1. They walked by separately, at different times

2. You had to ask permission to use the zen room

Image credits: Sauerkraut_n_Pepsi

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