We all want the job and make lots of effort to land one but your job becomes your worst nightmare when you have a bad employer. There are many cases where people got stuck in bad jobs and face many problems as well as suffer unnecessary stress and anxiety which causes many other problems as well.
Some organizations and bosses treat their employees with bad manners and make them work more than what they are paying and don’t allow any holidays and vacations as well. Now the question is how to spot bad employers?
In this article, we are going to discuss that how can someone spot bad employers and get rid of them before engaging further. Read this article to know more about bad employers and how to spot them because it is good to be safe than sorry.
Signs That You Work For A Bad Employer:
Quitting your current job and looking for a new job is better than working under a bad employer. When working under a bad employer you will be having a lot more cons than pros.
The most defeating part is that you will be demotivated and will not be able to improve or develop your skillset under a bad employer. Now if you are still having a doubt regarding your employer then here we have listed a few signs that help you assess your employer.
Warning signs of a bad employer:
- Your employer is least bothered about you
- Your employer blames you all the time
- Prefers to hide behind the employees
- You are made to act blindfold
- Your employer lacks skills
- Not knowing the actual authority(boss, company or head)
- Your employer would make irresponsible or wrong decisions
- Your employer lacks management skills and always shifts work and responsibilities on employees
- You are not given any kind of freedom
- Made to Work in a mess
- Does not trust you
- Your employer does not feel the complexity of the situation
- Never appreciates his employees
- Does not support them
- Alway focuses on failures and pinpoints repeatedly
Toxic Traits of a Bad Employer:
1. First interaction, first impression:
It is said that your first impression is your last impression. Same goes when you have your very first interaction with an HR manager or someone from the recruitment department when you apply for the job and this present your very first opportunity to check whether you had applied for the right job with the right organization.
Notice how they are behaving with you, way of speaking and how they address you, etc can give you your first clue about the recruiting organization. If they are behaving strangely in your very first interaction whether face to face or call then reconsider your application of job with the organization.
2. Lack of creativity in the advertisement:
When a company starts recruitment to hire staff or to fill a vacant position they create advertisements so that they can attract potential employees for an interview and can select the best out of many.
Their advertisement shows what kind of people work with the organization if the advertisement is too catchy or too dull then be alert. Check how much information they are providing in their advertisement.
Companies advertisement plays an important role in telling you if there is something wrong if the advertisement doesn’t give a clear message about what the company wants then don’t apply for the job.
3. Workplace:
The company’s workplace tells a lot about what type of company it is. Check the workplace when you go to the interview and notice small details like how people are working there if they are laughing and talking or the workplace seems dull.
You can apply restaurant theory which says a good restaurant always has sounds of laughter, chatter and full of colors similarly a workplace is something where people do interact with each other as well as smile, laugh also.
Check your potential workplace for all these signs and if you notice something out of place then avoid working there because this sign may be the warning bell for you.
4. Environment:
A good working environment is necessary for a company to fulfill and grow as well as increase employee’s productivity because they are happy and satisfied in a good environment.
If the company you apply for doesn’t have a good working environment for the employees then do not apply for the job. You will never get to grow in such companies who make their employees work hard in the shitty environment and it will also make you depressed as well.
Some good companies cater to every need of their employees and provide an environment to grow personally and professionally, look for this type of working environment when you try for the new job.
5. Staff behavior:
Just like a happy family represent happy family members, the same way a good organization has happy staff that loves working there and work to take the organization to new heights.
Check out how the staff of your potential company behaving while interacting with each other and with you, they are smiling when welcoming you or they have frowned on their faces? If an organization have unhappy staff then it is the sign for you to take the hint and avoid engaging with this organization because if the staff is not happy then their top level of organization doesn’t cater their need properly.
6. Surroundings:
Successful organizations always have workplace somewhere decent and easy to access with good surroundings. Checks the surroundings of the organization and where its main office is when you apply for the job.
If the surroundings and location are somewhere very far from the marketplace and civilization which is hard to get then be aware of fraud or something. Noticing these little signs can help you from getting in trouble. Make sure it is safe there when you go for an interview or check beforehand.
7. Lack of response from staff:
As we said in the previous point the good staff is the sign of good organization. Check the response of staff when you ask questions about the organization, working strategy, and other common details if they are avoiding eye contact and fidgeting then they are hiding something or not telling you the truth.
If the staff working there is not happy with management or don’t like working there and giving you false information or indirect answers, then it’s a direct sign for you to go and don’t come back.
8. Hiding information:
Most organizations share information about their goals, future, clients and what they are working for and do hiring as per the demand of vacant posts but if the organization you are giving interview doesn’t give a clear answer to the question and hide information that there is something fishy.
Ask yourself what is the need of hiding basic information which encourages people to apply and work with them, you will get your answer that why you should stay away from such an organization. If you have already done the interview part then don’t accept the offer letter before making sure you are working with the right one.
9. No direct question answer:
If the manager doing an interview is not asking a direct question and answers then be alert, if he is asking irrelevant questions and doesn’t ask things related to the job they do not accept the offer letter.
Every organization has many interview rounds, ask a thousand questions and give the right answer to your question but if something is missing then this is the time you say goodbye and leave because this is not the right place to do the job.
10. No clear strategies, policies:
You make strategies to do a certain task and have policies to keep your life on track. The same thing happens with the organizations and companies; they make strategies and have policies for their work and to do the work.
A well-defined structure followed to do the task and if a company doesn’t have clear strategies and policies how they will work? What will be the criteria of work and growth of organizations and employees if they don’t know what their goals are? How will you grow in such type of organization? No chance of moving forward for you if you working with such an organization.
11. Company’s reputation:
Do you know what Microsoft is? You are well aware of what Microsoft does and its reputation in the market, you don’t need any introduction for Microsoft but the organizations you are applying have a good market reputation? It doesn’t matter how big or small is the organization you are applying for but what depends on is the reputation of that organization in the market.
If the organization you are applying doesn’t have a good reputation, satisfied client, and good public image then don’t go to work there as it will tarnish your image as well when you associate with such organization.
12. Direct hiring without an interview:
Which organizations do hiring without any round of interview or without doing a background check? No one right? Hiring the right candidate is very important for any organization because it cost very high to have an unqualified candidate and take more money and time in replacing that candidate.
If the organization you applied for giving you a job without any interview then don’t accept the proposal. There is something fishy in their otherwise no organization wants unnecessary loss. This kind of proposal looks good at first but they are just trapped to catch innocent people.
13. Lack of trust:
Trust is very important to build any relationship whether it is personal or professional. Most organization do a necessary background check before hiring final candidates for the job and if the organization work with something confidential and important then background checks are done more strictly but trust is necessary.
If the organization you apply for is not trusting you and the information you provide then do not work there. They will not trust you in the case of any problem and can blame you for the fault, or maybe they are something else. Don’t take a chance and if you’re going to take a chance then you too do a background check on a personal level.
14. Colleagues behavior:
Working in a healthy environment increase productivity ten times and if you enjoy working with your colleagues then you do your job in a much better way.
You must enjoy your job and have good relationship with your colleagues and office staff as well as your boss, but if you can’t work with your boss and colleagues and have issues then do not work there as you will be unhappy there and you can’t work your best when you are not even happy with your work.
15. No feedback:
Feedback from both sides is important but feedback from the organization regarding your job and interview plays a more important role. If the organization you applied for doesn’t give feedback then don’t work for them.
Feedback is important and they show the importance of the job to employer and candidate to the interviewee. Feedback from the organization also shows that they were serious about the job.
16. Ask questions:
Ask questions to your potential manager, interviewer, and other office staff and if you don’t get a satisfying answer then this is the sign that something is wrong here and it is not good to work here especially when it is your first job.
The asking question shows that you are interested in your interviewer and answering those questions shows that they want someone good to hire. So ask questions, whatever is in your mind and clear your doubts.
Types of Companies You Should Never Work For:
Similar to working under a bad employer, there are few types of companies that you should never work for. They not only make you stuck in your career but also closes the door for future growth opportunities.
Most of the good companies apart from their growth should also focus on their self-improvement growth as well. This not only helps the employee to develop but also boosts him to work even harder to achieve the goals of the company.
Working under such companies can be very fruitful for employee future. The work experience or the skills they gain in such a company holds a greater value. On the other hand, working under a bad company ruins your future desires for growth and development.
Here are a few types of companies that you should never even apply for,
The Directionless Ship –
Sore points: No future plans, no long term goals, poor communication between employer and employee
The “Stagnator” –
Sore points: No learning opportunities, poor mentorship,
The Perpetual Promisor-
Sore points: Not able to live up to promises, lack of trust on the employer, Unfulfilled corporate expectations
The Top Heavy Business:
Sore points: Lesser employees on executing part, too many employees on brainstorming
The Curb Appealer –
Sore points: Age-old technology, no proper amenities for employees, low-grade cubicles, Poor treatment
The Culture Clash Corp:
Sore points: Negative reviews online, no proper answer from recruiters, Not focusing on the work experience of the employee
The High Turnover Outfit –
Sore points: Hunting for employee every six months, employees leaving the company in shorter periods
50+ Google Searches to Avoid Bad Employers and Pending Layoffs:
If you do not know about your employer then you are at great risk.
Companies these days are turning unpredictable, so if you are unemployed and are looking for jobs then make sure that you know everything about the company before applying for the job. Also if you are employed, then always be updated about the company as it helps you get notified before your company turns into a sinking boat. This helps you to make a move at the earliest and get a job in a better company.
The best way to research about the company are through their social media profiles or through their company website. You also can use the Google search engine to know about the company. Now if you want to know how, then continue to read on,
Here are 50 google search queries which are segmented into 5 categories that showcase strong signs of companies getting dissolved or pending layoffs
Ways to Use These Queries
Executive or senior manager leaving:
- [Provide your company name] fired “[insert executive name here]”
- [Provide your company name] “resigned unexpectedly”
- [Provide your company name] resigned
- [Provide your company name] “departure announced”
- [Provide your company name] “[insert executive name here]” “departure announced”
- [Provide your company name] “[insert executive name here]” departed
- [Provide your company name] “[insert executive name here]” “resigned unexpectedly”
- [Provide your company name] “[insert executive name here]” resigned
When the Company is sold:
- [Provide your company name] “sale pending”
- [Provide your company name] “pending sale”
- [Provide your company name] “pending purchase”
- [Provide your company name] “purchase pending”
- [Provide your company name] “hoping to be acquired”
- [Provide your company name] “looking to be acquired”
- [Provide your company name] “on the market”
Product or service discontinued:
- [Provide your company name] “no longer available” [insert product name here]
- [Provide your company name] discontinued [insert product name here]
- [Provide your company name] “line closing” [insert product name here]
- [Provide your company name] “production ends” [insert product name here]
- [Provide your company name] “will cease production” [insert product name here]
- [Provide your company name] “ending production”
- [Provide your company name] “production ending”
- [Provide your company name] “production discontinued”
A decrease in revenue or sales:
- [Provide your company name] “negative revenue forecast”
- [Provide your company name] “negative sales forecast”
- [Provide your company name] “negative outlook”
- [Provide your company name] “negative revenue” forecast
- [Provide your company name] “revenue dropping”
- [Provide your company name] “profits drop”
- [Provide your company name] “reduced profits”
- [Provide your company name] “earnings drop”
- [Provide your company name] “reduction in sales”
- [Provide your company name] “sales drop”
Restructuring or closure of a plant or office:
- [Provide your company name] closed
- [Provide your company name] acquired
- [Provide your company name] “ended production”
- [Provide your company name] “consolidating operations”
- [Provide your company name] “shutting down” or “shut down”
- [Provide your company name] “division closing”
- [Provide your company name] “branch closing”
- [Provide your company name] “office closing”
- [Provide your company name] “plant closing”
- [Provide your company name] “stopping production”
- [Provide your company name] “ending production”
- [Provide your company name] “halting production”
- [Provide your company name] “moving production”
- [Provide your company name] “reduction in headcount” OR “reduction in headcount”
- [Provide your company name] “layoff planned”
- [Provide your company name] “layoff pending”
- [Provide your company name] “headcount reduction” OR “headcount reduction”
- [Provide your company name] “right-sizing” OR rightsizing
- [Provide your company name] “down-sizing” OR downsizing
- [Provide your company name] “reduction in force”
- [Provide your company name] restructuring
Conclusion:
Getting the right job is one of the most important things to have a successful career. People do make lots of effort to land the right job and work hard to get successful. Just like the right candidate is important for a successful organization, the right organization is necessary to be successful otherwise no matter how hard you work. there are frauds and cheater at every next corner you turn.
We have discussed the way you can detect if the organization you apply for the job is the right one or not. Follow these simple steps to keep yourself safe from organizations that are like evil from hell.
We are not saying that every organization is bad, we are just saying there are frauds more than genuine organizations which can harm you in more way you can imagine, and it is good if you keep your eyes and ears open.
Trust your gut feelings, listen to your heart and use these points to keep yourself safe and to move ahead in your professional life. Some organizations make sure to keep their employees healthy and happy so work where you can learn and grow without any problem.
We wish you all the best for your future and hope that these points can help you in spotting a bad employer.
