People Share 30 Workplace Red Flags That Just Scream "Working Here Would Suck"

To find out more about what red flags you should watch out for when entering a new workplace, Bored Panda reached out to Gleb Tsipursky, the CEO of the boutique future-of-work consultancy Disaster Avoidance Experts. Gleb has been consulting Fortune 500 companies for 20 years and is the author of 7 books, including the global best-seller “Never Go With Your Gut: How Pioneering Leaders Make the Best Decisions and Avoid Business Disasters.”

“Some potential signs of trouble to look out for when joining a new company,” Gleb explained, “include a lack of transparency from leadership, high turnover rates, and a lack of clear communication and expectations.”

“Another red flag,” Gleb continued, “to be aware of is a toxic or negative work culture, which can manifest through gossip, backstabbing, and a lack of support among colleagues. Additionally, it's also important to be aware of any cognitive biases that may be present, such as the sunk cost fallacy, which may lead you to overlook red flags in the hopes of making the best of a bad situation.”

If you identify one of these red flags, Gleb argues that it's important to weigh the pros and cons before making a decision.

“On one hand, it may be wise to walk away if the red flags are severe and it seems unlikely that they will be addressed or resolved. On the other hand, it may be worth giving the company a second chance if the red flags are relatively minor and there are good reasons to believe that they can be addressed or improved,” the CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts explained.

Moreover, “checking with your gut is an initial step to evaluate whether to join a new company, as it can help you to identify potential red flags and to make decisions that are in your best interest.”

“However, it's also important to be aware of cognitive biases, such as confirmation bias, which may lead you to overreact or overlook red flags or to make decisions that are not in your best interest,” Gleb explained.

“Therefore, it's important to check with your head and use your head to overrule your gut when your gut and your head disagree,” Gleb concluded.