How to Recognize the Signs of a Burnout Culture Before Accepting a Job

It is normal to feel overwhelmed by your work from time to time, but when this feeling becomes constant, no matter what you do to scale back or redirect your efforts, you may be experiencing burnout and the problem is likely your employer. . According to a study by the University of California, Berkeley, Rutgers, and Deakin University, there are six main causes of burnout .

• Unstable workload
• Perceived lack of control
• Insufficient reward for effort
• Lack of a supportive community
• Lack of justice
• Mismatch of values ​​and skills

If you’ve ever worked… anywhere, you’re probably familiar with at least all of them: some employers either don’t know or don’t care that their employees are constantly stressed, depressed, and angry. . Some bosses and companies even seem to like it. And when you’re interviewing for a new job, it’s easy to miss the signs of a toxic workplace, if you’re not looking for them, it’s easy to get sucked in, and once you’re there, it can be hard to get into. outside. Here are some tips on how to recognize a workplace that can cause burnout.

Warning signs in job advertisements

There are words and phrases in online advertising that should be considered warning signs for those trying to avoid potential job burnout. Here are some examples:

• High performance culture: Some people thrive in highly demanding jobs, but almost everyone needs a supportive environment to work for more than a few months at a time.
• Ability to cope with stress: Any employer that mentions “stress” in a job ad is probably someone you want to avoid, especially if it’s phrased like this: “you must be able to cope with a stressful environment.” This indicates that they are already aware that their employees are burning out and are blaming them instead of seeing it as a problem in the workplace.
• Ability to work under pressure: see above.
• Looking for “rock star” or “ninja”: I hate to see this phrase on the job listing unless Mötley Crüe is looking for a new bassist. Real rock stars tend to be bad at quarterly planning meetings, attend Wednesday HR training, or apply. (So ​​are ninjas.) Employers who use descriptors like this in their ads don’t have a clear idea of ​​the qualifications they’re actually looking for. To me, it sounds like, “We need someone we can use.”
• We are like a family: this may indicate a workplace without proper boundaries. My family doesn’t pay me to show up, but they inspire a different kind of loyalty and commitment than in the workplace.
• No mention of salary. As career coach Leah Tillier told Yahoo News , “If there’s no salary in job ads, it could mean there’s no open and fair pay culture… if it’s an office job with no flexibility, it’s usually an environment that lacks trust.”
• An Ad That Was Always There: If you spot the same job advertised for a long time, it could indicate a poison pill job that no one wants. Or it could be a ” ghost work ” that isn’t real anyway.

Signs of a burnout culture to look out for in the hiring process

An employer advertising an accounting ninja who loves stress is actually saving thoughtful job seekers time by saving them the trouble of sending them resumes. But toxic employers are often secretive and may seem like they’re offering a reasonable position in a regular workplace—the cracks don’t start to show until you actually start going through the hiring process.

To gather information about any company you are interested in, visit Glassdoor , where you can read honest workplace reviews from employees and former employees. You can’t beat this for a general background check on a potential employer – if there’s something wrong with the way the place is run, someone on Glassdoor will tell you.

The pre-interview process can also reveal a lot about a company’s culture. Unprofessional or outright rude emails can give you a clue that this is an environment you don’t want to work in. A late response may indicate a lack of organization, disrespect for potential employees, or both.

If there is confusion about what exactly the position will entail, who you can talk to about it, and where or when you should show up for an interview, this is another sign of disorganization, and disorganized offices are often filled with burnt-out employees. Another red flag: if they try to lure you into an interview unreasonably quickly, this may indicate scheduling problems in the company, and you should stay away unless you want to be thrown directly into a burning building (metaphorically).

Ask the right interview questions

If you make it to the interview, congratulations: this is your chance to really explore the workplace environment and get a feel for how you fit into it. But before you start, check the overall atmosphere of the place. Do people seem happy? Does anyone in the waiting room silently say “run away”?

While some jobs are demoralizing for just about everyone, others can be great for some people and terrible for others, so ask interview questions that focus on what worries you the most. It’s a cliché, but it’s true: you interview them the same way they interview you.

This excellent article from The Harvard Business Review offers specific questions you could ask related to each of the top six things that can lead to burnout, but they’re not too far off the questions you might be asking. in any case – if more. cleverly worded. So instead of saying, “You don’t expect me to work overtime without extra pay, do you?” you can try: “What are the standard business hours? How often do people have to work weekends?

If the answers to these questions seem too vague, don’t be afraid to ask for specific examples. Even if the question makes you feel uncomfortable, like “Can you describe how you deal with mistakes on your team?” it’s worth asking. Watch your responses closely, looking for signs of evasiveness, impatience, or dishonesty. If you ask direct and direct questions – according to examples from Harvard, something like “How does the team communicate when they have too much to do?” – you should not bombard them with things that are not easy to answer. But if you come across something the other person isn’t ready for, expect a polite, “I’ll look into it and get back to you.” And then make sure they give a satisfactory answer.

And remember, no job is perfect, and you can still experience burnout even if you have a great job and work in a supportive environment. Check out this Lifehacker article for tips on how to deal with career burnout.