# Warning signs of a bad employment arrangement Closely examine *anything* you feel or might feel disrespected or violated. ## The people you'll likely work with You might experience several rounds of interviews before meeting a potential coworker. - Research with job social media or spend time on-site to see if you identify with the culture. Never take a job where you'll work closely with someone you don't want to become. ## The company doesn't care about your career They take forever to respond to you: - If a hiring manager takes weeks to return a call or email, they won't respond promptly *after* they hire you. You receive a barrage of tests and assignments before the company even talks about hiring you: - Many companies use tests and analyses to commoditize and dehumanize workers. The job is over-sold, the job description is vague, and they're not asking about your experience: - Scammers don't care about your background. Strange buzzwords or enigmatic phrases: - They imagine you in multiple roles simultaneously and don't understand how your skills apply to them. Nobody discusses a career progression path: - The role is a dead-end job. The employer assumes you'll automatically take their job offer: - The manager presumes that hiring you is doing you a favor. - They will often show their assumptions if you show any hesitation about taking the role. ## The company doesn't care about their employees They're very quick to say they can work with all accommodations: - They're trying to promise everything in the hopes that someone takes the job. The interviewer complains about any of the current staff: - It's a trickle-down abuse culture. - It can also be the case when they talk badly at length about the previous people in the role. The interviewer says they "work hard and play hard": - They tend to cause worker burnout and won't consider your personal needs. You go through more than 3 rounds of interviews: - Many employers keep high-quality talent "ready to go", and will often exploit eager and desperate candidates' hopes. The employer alters or rescinds job offer letters: - They are willing to change the terms of the employment arrangement without notice, and it will typically *not* be in the employee's favor. Managers make jokes at the expense of the team: - It's a passive-aggressive trickle-down abuse culture. The employees either look away from the manager or act like they don't want to be there: - The manager is either controlling or the employees are embarrassed by them. The workers are brutally honest and hate their job: - The manager maintains a [false image](people-image-distortion.md) of a great workplace. When asked about overtime, the interviewer indicates that people like to stick around most days. - The overtime is mandatory, but they can't legally say that. ## Deep corporate dysfunction When the interviewer is asked about what they like about working there, they respond by describing the location of the work: - They don't want to openly admit to a candidate that they hate their role. Many new employees in a long-standing business: - The company is experiencing a high employee turnover rate because people keep quitting or getting fired. The business is run almost exclusively by people who have been in the company a long time: - They're resistant to any change whatsoever, and expect everyone to conform to their wishes. Not enough appropriate communication in the office: - You won't know what to do, but everyone will frequently panic. Little or no respect for others' time and talent: - Nobody will care about your time. Little or no sense of remorse for wrongdoing or violating boundaries. - Nobody respects your skills and talents. The potential employer asks for money from you before you begin working there: - You're there to perform a service *for* money *from* them, not the other way around. - The company is in a serious financial crisis, or they're a scam. Employees see pay grades as a type of status: - Gifted, intelligent people don't care about money and don't determine their worth with paychecks. ## Over-controlling company policies A no-moonlighting policy: - In other words, you can't work another part-time job. - The company doesn't want you to develop your career through a different path. A no-reference policy: - Your manager is forbidden to give a good reference. - You can only discover a no-reference policy by asking "Does your company allow managers to give references for their employees, or are those inquiries sent to HR?" Progressive discipline: - Gives increasing penalties for more failures. - While it was once common in the Industrial Revolution, the policy treats you like a child. Payroll deductions for workplace items: - This can include gas expense, company lunches, and supplies. - This is a corporate money-saving trick that completely disrespects you and your ability to work. Dictated hours for salaried employees or mandatory office time for a job that can be completely work-from-home: - Every employee is required to work a certain number of hours. - Dictated hours force salary employees to loiter in an office. Managers dictate internal job transfers: - If one manager fully determines promotion and transfer opportunities, the company treats you like a machine. Formal performance management: - Tasks and goals are broken into daily, weekly, and monthly measurements. - A great company should respect that a great worker doesn't need every hour specified for them. No casual time permitted: - No flexible time allowed to take a day off for minor events that need it. - If you only receive vacation, sick, and holiday times the company gives little to no freedom to live your life outside work. ## Union risks Labor union leaders' first goals are to keep that labor union in power. - What this means is that the unions want workers satisfied enough to not get rid of the union, and collecting as many union dues as possible. In practice, labor unions will work tirelessly to defend the lowest-performing workers, while removing any chance you'll be rewarded for hard work by measuring the time from your hire date instead. - Work in a union if you want job where you'll never get fired, but don't expect any [meaning](meaning.md) or recognition for your work. The one exception to this situation is *trade* unions. - Trade unions work off a very old tradition built around apprenticeships, which is a type of [temporary slavery](people-slavery.md) while someone learns a craft. - The pay and benefits are usually *much* better in trade unions, and many of them are highly well-respected roles. - Further, while employment unions track seniority for promotions and pay, trade unions typically treat all journeymen workers as equal no matter how long they've been there.