Jobs

7 Types of Companies You Should Not Work For

Paul Ausick

Published: October 13, 2016 10:15 am

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 2:27 am

When it comes to the place where you spend at least half your waking hours, you probably want to make sure that it’s the kind of place that makes those hours more than just bearable. We’re talking here about your job.

Is it better to stick with the devil you know rather than take a chance on the devil you don’t? Better pay and more responsibility can be very attractive if you’re looking to improve your situation, but there may be good reasons to be choosy before making a change.

The folks at employment website Glassdoor have compiled a list of the seven types of companies you may want to avoid if you’re looking for a new and better job. The firm does not name names, but does include things you should look for before you make the change.

Here are Glassdoor’s seven indicators that a company may not be the right one for your next career move.

1. The High Turn-Over Outfit
Red flags: Key roles pop up consistently on a company’s job site.
What to do: Companies with high turnover won’t deliver on their promises and may just be a waste of time.

2. The Culture Clash Corp
Red flags: Negative employee reviews, lack of focus on a true employee experience, recruiters evading your questions.
What to do: Avoid companies who tout their ping pong tournament but won’t allow you speak to existing employees about their experiences.

3. The Curb Appealer
Red flags: Pristine and ideal image in marketing materials and publicity, however, the day-to-day operation is far from glamorous. Only the leaders have what can pass as offices, staff is dispersed amongst [shoddy] cubicles, lighting is awful, technology is from the ’90s, and let’s not get started on the break room.
What to do: Do your due diligence before you apply to a company to look inside its offices, get a sense of the digs and see if it’s a place you want to spend 40+ hours a week.

4. The Top Heavy Business
Red flags: Too many executives brainstorming, too few employees tasked with executing.
What to do: Ask yourself: Who’s getting promoted internally? Or are key positions being filled by outsiders? Why are there 10 SVPs, but only 100 employees? If the answers to these questions puzzle you, then you may be looking at a top-heavy company.

5. The Perpetual Promiser
Red flags: Unfulfilled corporate expectations, employees report a lack of trust in CEO, inability to live up to brand promises.
What to do: Run. A company is only as good as its brand promise and the trust of its employees. Without these two things, it is doomed to fail.

6. The Stagnator
Red flags: Lack of learning opportunities, fails to promote mentorship, offers little more than the role you’ve applied for.
What to do: Working at a Stagnator means that you’ll likely be back on the job hunt in 12 to 18 months. Remember, to stagnate is a verb that means “cease developing; become inactive or dull.” This is not what you want for your career.

7. The Directionless Ship
Red flags: No clear plan for the future, employees don’t know long-term goals, senior leadership fails to adequately communicate.
What to do: No matter how promising a company looks to the media or how much buzz surrounds the company’s latest product, if the value proposition and forecast are unclear, the company does not have a winning strategy.

See the Glassdoor story for more details.