People who know what it’s like to work for a bad employer decided to share their stories online so that other people could learn from their experience. And we divided these stories into several categories, or so-called red flags, that signify a job isn’t right for you.

Your management doesn’t want to discuss your pay increase.

An employer often uses the word “family.”

Your management ignores lunch breaks.

© The Office / NBC Universal Television and co-producers

Some managers bring their lunch from home and believe that their team should do the same. So, this actually means that you can’t take a walk during lunch, but end up being locked up in the office for the entire working day.

It was the first day at my new job, at lunchtime. I looked around and noticed that no one was making a move to go somewhere. So, I took my bag and said, “I’m going to lunch.” And my manager says, “Actually, we don’t leave the office for lunch. Our employees bring food from home. See, Kate, for example, is drinking coffee with a sandwich.”
When I was hired, no one said a word about it. I got angry and said, “I have a sensitive stomach, and I need to eat a hot meal. Are you going to get me a new stomach?” It turns out I couldn’t come to terms with this woman, and I quit. I don’t regret it for a second.

There is toxic atmosphere in the office.

© Corporate / Hulu and co-producers

Sometimes it happens that it’s not just bosses who can be toxic, but also some of your teammates. But this behavior of theirs is tolerated because they are on friendly terms with a boss, or the management believes they are too useful to be fired.

If your boss is always screaming and your co-workers are always intense, that’s a red flag that this is not the right job for you. © Henry Landau / Quora

An employer makes big promises.

© Parks and Recreation / Universal Media Studios and co-producers

For example, you’re being interviewed for a job at a company that has just opened, but they tell you that they will soon become the kings of the market. Perhaps, they think that they’re telling the truth, but in reality, they are just drowning in their own illusions.

I got a job at a travel agency. The company was new — they didn’t even have a client base. They’d just rented an office that didn’t even have furniture yet. The director sang songs about how they’d become the kings of the market soon.
But at the same time, they wanted us to work for the first month for free. He also once asked me to wash floors in the office and move some furniture. I’m not kidding.3