The key facts

  • Chaos disguised as flexibility usually means an absence of documented business processes
  • The cult of the corporate family can mask disrespect for personal boundaries
  • Uncomfortable questions at the interview help quickly distinguish a mature manager from a toxic one

What should put a candidate on alert

A toxic corporate culture harms business results and leads to rapid team burnout, but such an environment can be recognized even before signing a contract, believes Dmitry Solopov, founder of the communications agency PROGRESS. He shared his observations in a conversation with Gazeta.Ru.

Five red flags

The first sign is chaos packaged as flexibility. If the meeting talks about a dynamic environment where responsibilities take shape on the fly, in practice this most often means an absence of documented business processes. You can test the system by asking how performance will be evaluated in the first months and what KPIs apply during the probation period. A vague answer like you just need to work well means you will be responsible for everything without clear success criteria.

Attitude toward people and boundaries

The second marker is the devaluation of predecessors: if a manager speaks negatively about the person who previously held your position, the same will be said about you after you leave. Solopov advises asking directly why the position is open and where the previous employee went.

A family instead of a contract

The attitude toward personal boundaries deserves special attention; it is often masked by a cult of the corporate family. According to the expert, constant reminders that the team is one big family prepare you for emotional blackmail: a healthy business is built on contracts and partnership, not on guilt. The situation becomes clearer with a question about how the company handles overtime and tasks that land on Friday evening.

Format of dialogue and respect for time

Toxicity also shows in the format of communication. An interview conducted like an interrogation and outdated stress-interview techniques point to an authoritarian structure. A manager's maturity can be tested with a question about the main challenge facing their team: an adequate leader knows their weak spots and is ready to discuss them. Respect for other people's time belongs here too — a 40-minute wait without an apology or a demand for an extensive test assignment by morning, according to Solopov, are a projection of future communication.

Expert advice

At an interview, there is no need to be afraid of asking uncomfortable questions. A strong manager will be pleased by them, while a toxic one will quickly lose their temper, thereby saving you time, Solopov concluded. Gazeta.Ru also reminds readers that a lawyer previously explained whether video recording during an interview is legal.