Watch out for these 4 “red flags” during the job interview, warns the business and ethics expert from Harvard

We spend a huge part of our lives at work. Unfortunately, some employers may be greedy with our time and energy and may ask us to put our values ​​aside to respect their culture.

After 15 years of teaching business and law, I wrote the book Business Ethics: What Everyone Should Know, which outlines some of the major ethical challenges we often face throughout our careers.

Before you take a job, keep in mind that some employers will try to paint a rosy – and inaccurate – picture of their work environment. Below are some red flags to help you assess what is really going on behind the scenes. If all indications are “toxic”, you do not want to work there:

1. Hypocrisy

What are the company’s commitments? Do you like what the company says publicly on issues that are important to you? Do you hear senior executives routinely take on and act on these commitments?

Take a look at his website for public statements. Then check the news for company reports and public documents in agencies such as the US Securities and Exchange Commission about what the company is doing.

There can be a big difference between what a company says and what it does. If there is too much gap, the people who work there will experience this hypocrisy, stop trusting the company and leave.

2. High turnover rates

When it is your turn to ask questions during the interview, ask the other person how long they have been at work and how long the people before them have stayed in that position.

Companies are developing a reputation in their industries, so ask the people on your network what they’ve heard. You can also find this information by conducting informative interviews with past employees or by reading reviews on websites such as Glassdoor and Indeed.

Everyone may have a different reason to leave, but if no one is left on the team after six months, you have to wonder what’s going on.

3. This is not a culture of “talking”.

The Ethics and Compliance Initiative, a community of organizations committed to creating high-quality ethics and compliance programs, defines a culture of “speaking” as one that “encourages, protects and evaluates the reporting of concerns and alleged misconduct.”

While interviewing, try to understand the opinion of current and past employees about whether the company has a culture of “speaking” or not. Ask about the type of problems they – or, to make it less personal, their “colleagues” – have raised with managers and what response they have received.

If people do not feel safe about raising concerns at work, company ethics can quickly derail. Employees may feel less engaged and stop making efforts in their work.

4. Revenge

This is a big problem. Employees will not talk about problems if they think they are likely to take revenge.

In order to promote a healthy ethical culture, a company’s disciplinary process must be transparent, accountable, consistent, and protected from those who report misconduct – whether the violation is committed by the CEO or someone in the post office.

Be vigilant for media coverage of revenge in the company. Ask about human resources and compliance structures.

Another reminder I always give: Trust reading the immediate reactions of employees when you ask these questions.

If you have other options, I would not advise you to take a job in a company that raises the red flags above.

Even if the scandal is not public now, the abuse of breweries in the company may become public soon. When this happens, the company name will be a sign against your reputation, making it much harder to leave and find work elsewhere.

Instead, look for a company that better fits your values. You will have a better experience, you will feel more motivated and proud of where you work, and you will be more likely to thrive.

JS Nelson is a visiting law professor at Harvard Business School, teaches at Vilanova Charles Wiger Law School, and is a senior fellow at the Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research at Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also a co-author of “Business ethics: what everyone should know“

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