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As many millions baby boomers retire each year from now to 7-10 years, the worker shortages will get worse. Even more I'm proud of MILLENIALS and Gen Z who quit very often or do work boycotting while still getting paychecks as a punishment back for decades of random layoffs firings, cutting of pensions, outsourcing, offshore jobs, automating away jobs. That and the refusal of large percentage of Millennials and Gen Z to have children willd destroy the cheap future slave labor workforce that organizations are counting on.
Interesting..can you help me understand why? How does lying to the employees benefit the system to achieve greater success and profitability? It feels fundamentally broken to have a system that doesn’t enable the employees knowing the expectations and how to meet them. An employee that knows what is needed of them accurately can better operate in the team and contribute to the greater goals of the company.
@@EloTheCurious most of the lies come down to a few things. 1) keeping trade secrets, secret. It’s impossible to know which employees will accidentally release information that can cost the company money. 2) telling an employee they can spend $50 dollars a day in discretionary money means they will spend $50 a day. It’s a kinda broken logic that many employers believe in. I don’t believe that. 3) it keeps employees from filing legitimate claims that could result in the employee making more money. 4) it keep’s employees from knowing how much money they could make if they asked. 5) it keeps the system always in favor of the employer. 6) it stops complaints before they happen when an employer makes it seem like everything is fine. Employers want happy employees as they are more productive. So they will lie if the ship is sinking and on fire. I don’t agree with all of this but that is the view point of many employers including my own. I am middle management and I know this is how my company feels. That’s why I take it upon my self to get the truth at all times. A lot of it is broke. Logic that doesn’t work. This is also why many companies have eliminated physical HR departments and have everything get done via remote. It dehumanizes the entire process in an effort to keep employees from filing claims/complaints. As I said it’s a lot of broken logic as them not accepting these claims/complaints can cost the company more in the long run but many companies are afraid to change anything. You know the old adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. The truth is that old adage has bankrupted numerous companies.
@EloTheCurious as an employee you're replacable. Some roles much more so than others. Even if you're a good, or great employee many companies will throw you under the bus if they need to. What's best for business isn't what's best for the employee. 'The higher the monkey climbs, the more he shows his arse' is something I was told once.
The problem is that you can't really find out that a workplace is toxic until after you've started the job. And unless you're open to starting and quitting jobs over and over until you've found a non-toxic one, you might end up feeling pressured to stay and tough it out for an entire year just so you don't seem like a job-hopper to future employers.
You're right, but I don't let it stop me. If I'm unhappy I leave. Jobs are not prison sentences & these companies need to start understanding the world we live in now.
Plus, some jobs only become toxic over time. Mine used to be great. It only became toxic when they wanted everyone to return to the office and I had to remind them of my medical condition that made that difficult and dangerous.
I had a supervisor once who monitored badge logs to see who took too long of a lunch or too many smoke breaks. So, me deciding to be petty, used my entire lunch hour for a week to walk around the building and badge at every entrance, and open & shut the door. He didn't appreciate that much, but he stopped monitoring the badge swipes. 😂
The worst part about that is when they apply those rules to some, but not all. Sometimes hyper-compliance is the only way to stop the stupidity, but usually they double down on it and get mad because you highlighted it. Micromanagers are small people (pun intended)!
Another sign is corporate cringe. You've seen examples on Josh Fluke's channel: companies doing silly, childish things on social media to make it seem like a good place to work. Corporate cringe, however, is a sign of lack of boundaries and respect. If you stay out of "team building events" you will be targeted and harrassed.
"we are looking for people with (company name) in their DNA". When I heard that (on a grad scheme I joined after university). I knew I wasn't going to be there for a long time. Also the training I received didn't do anything for my prospects except look good on applications etc. I have found having regular work experience ie customer service, interacting with people, office politics and culture etc were more valuable than technical training in niche areas. Have a good day reader.
@@gerardsloan1593If companies want their employees to be as passionate about it as the CEO, there has to be real incentives. Pizza parties and a pat on the back doesn't pay our bills. What WILL make employees stay engaged are rewarding them with shares of company stock and bonuses. If you go cheap on your employees you will get minimal returns.
I pretty much tell everyone straight up. I'm not here to work, I'm here to get paid. If I'm not getting paid, I'm not going. Since my employer only values cold hard cash, me too. I'm following the example they're putting out. If I'm not being paid, I won't be there. I'm not trying to be anyone's friend. I'm not going to your bar b que. Work is work. My life is my life. I won't be associating with coworkers on my personal time. If I see you on the street, I'll try to avoid you as best I can. When I quit, you're all dead to me. You mean nothing. Money talks, bullshit runs the marathon.
For me the worst traits of a toxic employer are: Dishonesty, Nepotism, Cronyism and backstabbing. I've worked in a workplace that had all of the 4 traits I mentioned and let me tell you.. it was like living in hell. Thank God I'm out of there.
Sounds like you have some experience in smaller companies like me. You've got a pretty good list going, Ive got about 30 years of working experience and those are definitely things that exist.
I just quit a nepotistic employer it was horrible ! All family! The HR department was the owners daughter ! It was a mess and when I found out other DsP who knew the owner were getting paid more I lost it and quit on the spot
You should add gaslighting to the list too...when you make a reasonable complaint about something that only the management can do something about, your reality is completely denied.
I walked away from a 21 year state government career after our HR & senior leadership became toxic and told me they would deny me using my USE OR LOSE vacation when my wife needed help at home for a month recovering from surgery. After 3 years of teleworking due to the pandemic, I was told teleworking wasn't a workable option, but also taking a month off was "detrimental to the workplace". Bye Felicia.
The returning the office baffles me along with all others who don't have any of their coworkers or managers working in the same office. I am supposed to drive into the office so I can hop on virtual calls? I can do that from my home office. I have yet to hear a single credible reason for why I should waste my time driving into the office to do the exact same job I can do at home.
Imagine being responsible for that type of toxicity at the workplace. How do you go back home, look yourself in the mirror, and think to yourself you're doing a great job
@@ALifeAfterLayoff its called Narcissism. It's a very common trait of management to think of themselves and only themselves to get ahead in the work place. Stop and think about how often you hear about backstabbing in the work place, or bosses who would push you off the building if you were in his way. These people will make up EVERY excuse in the world as to why it is okay for them to do what they do and not a bad thing.
I was famously told (by someone with committments and dependents)- that "must do" is a good motivator. Sometimes you need to adjust your personality and do what needs done to get things done (work colleagues are not your friends). I know now why some people in authority (like building sites etc) are ruthless. Have a good day reader.
@@gerardsloan1593 Yeah, you hear that in business alot. It's called black mail. Do what I say or I will make your family starve. The same "bosses" who do that, are the same bosses who lay off workers cause the company needs to increase stock or pay for a stock buyback programs. Those are the same people who lose customers by reducing purchase of product to fraudulently supply stock holders with paper figures to "legally" lie about profits. Those people are "government protected" con artist who should be thrown in jail. The very moment a boss tells you, "You don't have to come in today but it wont look good if something happens" is the moment you need to find another job. If they are willing to emotionally bully you they are willing to throw you off a building for themselves. It just had to be done, he was in my way. Some shit head with money threatening you so they can make more money is not a good reason. Stop making excuses causes you're afraid.
It’s unnerving how detached the big company corporate culture is from human behavior. There are issues in startups too, but there’s more familiarity with your staff in a start up.
We the People are the real problem. If the majority of us didn't accept the lies everything would change. We allow this to happen and they, the slaves and administrators of evil, know and capitalise on it.
Getting ready to quit my housekeeping job at a mall. Turn over is horrible and we are always short staffed. The operations director just told my boss today that he doesnt care if we only have 2 people working for the entire mall, he still wants the task list for 6 workers to be done everyday. No exceptions. They also pay us 2 dollars below the industry standard and expect people to bend over backwards. No thanks, lol.
A toxic trait I’ve personally dealt with a lot of when the toxicity moves down. When you start having middle managers, and then senior coworkers say “well, you made them act that way” It’s time to run, not walk. You are not responsible for other adults emotions.
We had a supervisor rip at all departments later in the day when people were shopping later in the day like 7:30 at night. He yelled at all departments because things were not full in the cases perfectly
Owners just tried to blame me for the bad management and poor behavior of this new person they just put in charge of several departments. She literally does nothing but cause problems and doesn’t manage anything but somehow I am to blame since I’ve been adversely affected by her incompetence.
The #1 toxic trait is requiring people to come into the office for duties which can easily be done remotely. I have had several companies contact me trying to fill IT positions, and my response to them is always the same..."I am only interested in remote positions." And if everybody else had that mentality, corporations would eventually need to cut their shit.
I had a boss who was so toxic that when I saw him walking toward me with that scowl on his face I'd side step him and walk down another aisle. He later got promoted to home office and then was fired. When I heard the news I told a coworker that only God knows why bads things happen to good people 😂.
Toxic environment here too. The company's policy is to terrorize the staff by saying jobs are hard to come by and we need to go above and beyond no matter what. My boss lacks experience in management, he plays favourite and has employed those who cannot pose a threat to himself. I go to work but wish I could be somewhere else instead. I have bills to pay and at my age the chances of finding a new job that pays a decent salary are slim.
“Employed those that are not a threat to himself” cannot be understated. I felt that every single day in my last, hateful job, where I was literally told I’d have to “manage up” in dealing with my completely idiotic and inept “manager” - told this by HIS boss like…..why tf did you hire him then? Make it make sense
You will get sick, trust me. I lost more time and money due to stress related digestion illness than the accumulated wages. It's not worth it. Go find a job at a supermarket or similar, MUCH less stress.
Corporate toxicity has been there from a long time. Now it's on steroids. Never compromise your health, sanity, well-being, ethics for a bad employer. Leave ASAP!!!
The expression “the fish rots from the head” says it all really. Culture good or bad cascades down through an organisation. What I have learned is that you cannot change the culture of a business, it’s deep rooted. In many ways we make judgements based upon how much we’re prepared to tolerate. One good measure for me is when you move from having four good days a week and one bad to having four bad days and one good. The observation made regarding a lack of energy in the business is very true. Jaded, demotivated people limping through to the weekend. The very same people whom were hired for their enthusiasm, dynamism etc.
The director and manager over a department sets the tone for that environment. For most of my 35 year career, I've worked in toxic mismanaged departments. It's a miracle that I didn't become an alcoholic because of it.
Good points. I may add one more slightly different one - management becoming too comfortable working remotely themselves reducing communication between them and to the rest of the company of important things like strategy, business decisions and general leadership. It seems like quiet quitting but on Executive level. Wonder if someone has noticed this behavior themselves.
The tracking kills me. There are SO many jobs that include inherent idle time. I love a busy day so time goes by quickly, but sometimes there is no "busy" work to do. We have very defined roles. I can't just call a co-worker's customer and take over their project. The boss doesn't have enough side projects to fill the time, especially when a customer cancels 5 minutes prior to a 2 hour training.
Another sign of a toxic workplace is that they place qualified people on Performance Improvement Plans or PIPs. I got placed on lots of them. When I asked for specific evidence, the boss refused to give it to me. Those companies go downhill as a result. One HR person who participated in my PIP is angry that every new boss lays him off before the 6 months are up.
@@carolinevh8849 I was placed on one and I only entertain it for a week. I saw the PIP what it was just a way push you out after the mental burnout you have. It was unrealistic benchmarks the PIP had.
My husband and I have a running list of "falsehoods" (gaslighting phrases) said by employers. 1. We encourage work/life balance. 2. The company is fully funded. 3. Manager: "my door is always open." Free free to add to our list!
we are a family we have no recruitment issues we do not need to pay the market rate for jobs whatever the amount of work requested you cannot say it is impossible to fulfil all requests we do not overload people with work we need to do more wth less having one member of staff work days and overnight callout for weeks in end is not a problem and its just the way if the world.
TY. I found workplace bullying was the worst. Too many cliques and stuff in the academic sector. Maybe it gets better as a professor but I never made it out of the tutoring labs.
I’m a Christian, and strive to live my faith seriously (not this consumerist DIY church of me evangelical stuff). Im 65, and I’ve worked in my fair share of toxic environments. I couldn’t agree more, the places that purport being faith based are generally the more toxic employers. That’s personally a red flag for me.
I think I know what company you are talking about. I tried to temp with them via Robert Half back in the day. They would always be wish washy. I gave up and went to another place, where I was hired full time. Seeing how they treated employees (and seem to only want a certain type of person working for them) I dodged a bullet.
My employer no longer supports work from home, irrespective of the nature of the job. It also had a 10% layoff. I no longer keep any personal things at my work desk. No personal files on the work computer. If I am laid off suddenly, I won't have to struggle to get personal things. Hope another layoff never happens, but there's no harm in being mentally ready.
Longtime subscriber. Wanted to say your advice, especially regarding networking, helped me land a new job immediately after being laid off. This week I and other former coworkers were told the owners sold to a new company and I was told my position would not be kept on right after. This completely blindsided me. Though all the warning signs you mentioned have been happening, and so I was ready to jump ship anyway before the layoff. Within an hour an old work colleague got me in touch for the new position, which I secured right away based on my experience and familiarity with the hiring manager. Take all of Brian’s advice, especially regarding being the CEO of your own career, to heart. Companies now in the post-capitalist dystopia will throw you out on the street right away with no warning if it saves them money on the bottom line. Look out for yourself and always be ready to levy connections for better opportunities and survival.
@@ALifeAfterLayoff Thanks! Appreciate you giving us all this valuable insight. Just know you’re doing a good and useful thing. I should add this new position is actually a promotion. And though it’s a $4,000 pay reduction, I’m actually moving to an area where the cost of living is lower so I’ll actually be taking home more money.
What I have experienced in the tech industry is that micromanagement has increased and everyone is over-worked. The pandemic made managers too comfortable to come back to the office full time and the inflation caused a hiring freeze despite all the growth.
@@newagain9964 Not to be arrogant but you can definitely google it yourself and get more results than I can write here. In short excessive supervision of employees work and wanting results in a very specific way are common micromanagement tactics in tech industry.
I work for federal government and this stuff is happening here too! Thank god for the employment protections we have on this side but honestly it hasn't made things much easier day in and day out. I dont know what's happened to folks but no one seems to care about personal branding, integrity, or anything of the sort.
Yeah I am in the federal government I am doing a job well beyond my grade tried to tell our new managers and section chief what's up and they won't listen. There is only 3 of us doing what they need and they have no one else to help so going to swap divisions.
@@bluetickbeagles116 What you're describing is an inevitable CONSEQUENCE of being in the military. Why do you think the Draft existed for so long? Nobody in their right mind wants to join up voluntarily.
This happened to me at my workplace too. The boss announced there would be no layoffs in our department despite the fact that other departments were already hearing about layoffs. The day before, we all got called to a meeting. Boss still denied there was anything wrong. The day of the meeting, we got told that there were going to be layoffs. Why cant these bosses just be honest and say "yes, there is a strong possibility that there may be layoffs" so we can prepare? But outright lying?
Because the good people leave first. Those who were just middling to hanging-on will get nervous, but stay because they have fewer prospects or are used to sliding under the radar and after the best employees bolt through the door, you are stuck with the mediocre or worse employees.
Organizations are not telling everyone company-wide to return to the office. That would not be a problem. The issue is they’re trying to pick out certain employees to work onsite everyday while they themselves can work from home everyday. That’s why they’re getting pushback.
My god, that's literally my ex-boss. He demanded everyone was back in the office because he wanted to "see our faces." but himself only showed up in the office maybe once a week for an hour or so just to socialize!!!
I personally like working in the office rather than WFH. It gives structure and routine and there is the social component. I appreciate that WFH can help with commuting to work or if you have family etc. But it can be isolating (also extra time in bed in the morning which is good lol). Have a good day reader.
Exactly, I left a toxic work space because they took away WFH flexibility for only the BIPOC employees. They did it by saying one department (which was entirely people of color) couldn't work from home anymore, while allowing all other departments (majority white) utilizing the WFH staff policy of 2 days/week at home. That was the last straw for me, the indirect racism.
I've been forced to resign. And this was all true. All the lies poured down from managers. Funny thing is, in the focal review I was just given an increment in salary 15 days back. They made us feel so low. We worked late nights for 6 months daily. It all felt crumbling down. Now I'm interviewing well and going to have some good news in this week or month. I've also seen how even after clearing all interviews, companies would say "we are not moving forward with you even though we liked you so much, and the indepth discussion that you've provided" So yeah for me my next step is to become my own CEO and maybe going forward create my own business of services of software. Let's just hope for the best and wishing prosperity to everyone!
Does anyone else think that the RTO initiatives are likely the byproduct of CEOs and similar figures getting pressure from the real estate market (or government?) that unless commercial real estate starts to fill up again, values will plummet and the economy will tank? I think that is what is likely behind this. I sincerely hope that eventually, there will be a return to remote work, with more ways to monitor employees and make sure that trustworthy and responsible people are able to work from home without needing to be supervised all day in a toxic office environment.
I've found over my 30 year career and 4 different companies that the industry I'm in has what most might consider a toxic environment. I'm not sure if my attitude has changed because of the pandemic or because I'm older and have a solid work history to fall back on but I'm finding myself not being as triggered by the toxicity as I once was. I do the best job I can and put in extra effort to satisfy my own integrity but I'll no longer do the arguably unreasonable things I once did for the sake of staying off of the lay-off list.
Age discrimination is the real thing, past 40 you are toast after that, people have stomach problems because they need a job to pay their bills, nobody cares about you in the workplace, every man woman child for themselves!😅
I also have a 25+ year career and work in higher ed, considered one of the most toxic areas to work in. I work 100% remotely and find I'm not nearly as triggered by the toxicity as I was working in person, which for me is a top reason to never go back to working in-office. I also find that because I work remotely, and because of my solid work history and institutional knowledge, that I can stand up to the unreasonable people/requests much easier.
Trying to make people come back to the office for most office jobs is asinine. What can't be done? You can have meetings, you can screen share, you can collaborate on slack/teams which everyone was doing anyway before the Pandemic. Engineering is already online for most tasks anyway working through git and deploys remotely just like they were when in office. You reduce traffic, accidents, pollution, need to rent out huge offices. Its just win win all around. Shitty managers who need to justify their job want it back to office. Managers who think walking past your desk occasionally is managing. You have to set expectations and talk to your employees. Most people working from home do not want to risk that perk and will do work. Yes some don't and abuse it, but you can easily see that in what they deliver. Boomer shit managers who can't adapt their style or hate change want it back. Elon Musk had that absolute asinine comment about how Its no fair to the blue collar guys or the people on the line who have to come in. Its not a comparison, its just what is necessary to do the job. Forcing people to come in because others have to is asinine. What does that change for the people who have to be in anyway? Oh, everyone gets to work inside with AC. That isn't fair to people who have to be outside. We should turn the AC off so its equal. See how dumb that is?
What’s even worse is how it forces people who relocated during the pandemic to have to relocate again or lose their job. Some people bought houses etc. I lost my job and am finding it hard to find another remote one that doesn’t require me to relocate or come in 3 days a week. It’s ridiculous.
@@charliedallachie3539 Did your company promise it would stay remote forever, or did you ask first before moving? Its a shitty thing for a company to do, but if you didn't do your homework before moving to confirm your assumptions for such a large thing that's sort of on you too. I bought a home and moved too, but my company promised they were fully WFH and I confirmed with my boss/CTO/HR outlining my plans too.
@@charliedallachie3539 That part! Constantly while in the house buying process, I've paused because I'm considering jobs which used to be remote but are shifting to hybrid, fully in person, etc. Now I'm unsure where to buy, between the few cities I'm nearby.
On Friday a boss from US come over to Dublin. He presented how great we we’re doing, how sales and products are growing… on Monday 3 out of 5 IT engineers were laid off, and several developers. The reality, never ever trust managers and CEOs, always be prepared, treat your gig as a contract job, no feelings, no going beyond BS.
My workplace has been toxic for a while. When I first started working in my current position, I noticed little things but over time I started to see more and more. In my several years of working at my job, I have seen many people come and go. It seems most people only stay for about 2-5 years before leaving, so a fairly high turnover. I went back to school once I saw that my job was a dead end. I'm now trying to figure out how to work for myself because I tried the rejection and trying to fit into a place that doesn't really want me but needs a body to do the job. For the last 3 years, we have been trying to do a record migration and have been receiving pushback from the other team members. I'm at the point where I don't care if the record migration happens or not, I working on my escape plan.
I totally disagree. While I don't think forcing people to come into the office 5 days a week is warranted, I saw the damage during covid when we all worked from home. The new joiners never acclimated to the team and stayed distant and 'remote'. No one who joined our department during covid lasted more than two years. Interpersonal in person contact is so important.
@@shuki1 Everything you said is non-sense!! Interpersonal and in-person contact is not necessary in the modern working world, in 2023! This is not 1983!! It is a choice and most younger millennials and Gen Zs don't want or need interpersonal relationships at work, if they aren't necessary! They just want to go to work, do their job and go home! I'm 43 years old and I don't want to or need to interact with people I work with because it's not really necessary! Everything can be done remotely in the 21st. Century!! You have not adapted to the new way of doing business in the super modern working world!
A few of the ways I've seen now. 1. Quiet hiring. If it's healthy, they aren't trying to hoodwink you. 2. RTO demands - There was usually a promise of "for the foreseeable future." But clearly senior management went on their word. A lot of the current stress is due to commercial real estate values cratering. But there's control and a bunch of other stuff. 3. We wear a lot of hats here - This is to compensate for layoffs. No, Mr Lundberg; you're too cheap to pay for what you need. 4. Layoffs - Any survivors live in a hellscape of backbiting, paranoia and dysfunction. 5. Data silos
We were issued laptops at the beginning of the pandemic. We had desktop computers up until then. We were issued them specifically so we could work from home. Our boss decided we weren't going to be allowed to work from home because we couldn't be trusted. Even though she can monitor us and we have never done anything that would make anyone think we were up to no good.
Yes, not so subtle toxic signs, indeed! Employers will also use the camera on the computer to monitor and track while you're in the office. They cant do this when you're WFH as it is an invasion of privacy. Yet another reason for forcing employees into the office. Boils down to a lack of trust, regardless of whether the work is getting done.
Always wondered if doing something they wouldn't want to watch might deter this camera spying. Ex: doing work with mouse in one hand and nose picking with the other. Just a thought.
Just recently, my hours have been cut for almost half after being with the company for almost 10 years while my boss decided to hire another person in our department full time who will be paid much lower than me!😂 So I felt betrayed as there was no warning of the plan and just hit me right there! Obviously, they are compensating the new person at my expense. I have been with the company through thick and thin, most especially when our department was sinking as 1 left and 1 was let go and I did all the work for months without complaints and this is what I get in spite of my loyalty & hard work. Now I think it's time to find another work place where I am respected and valued as I dread even thinking of working for this company again.
I was out of the workforce for a few years before the pandemic and then returned two years ago, so I don’t know if this is pandemic related, but the hours are just crazy now. It seemed like before being a “dedicated employee” meant you didn’t rush out the door at 5 and pushed on the odd project. Now I find no one leaves before 7, 12 hour days are common, weekends are the norm. I just worked 10 straight days and when I was leaving yesterday my boss was like “oh man, we’re really slammed tomorrow, do you think you can help out?” I had to say no. I have worked a couple places and also been back in the industry social scene, and it seems industry wide, not just my company. Is anyone else experiencing this?
Wow... I have not experienced this before. My current and previous employer for the past 23 years were respectful of "work-life balance." However, I have heard stories just like yours from friends. What industry do you work in? Are you in a professional contributor position or front line hourly? Life is short and I would not put up with what you are experiencing. I would be looking for a change outside of your industry if this is the norm. I wish you the very best.
@@flyakadventures8946 What this individual is describing is company-wide dysfunction. Either there aren't enough employees or the company is very poorly managed (funny how the latter often leads to the former). Either way, a red flag is waving in a strong wind.
Hi. The problem I’ve seen with being called back into the office is that the people (eg. managers, supervisors, leads, etc.) telling us to return onsite are all working from home every day. And they plan to continue working from home every day. So, can they really tell us to return to the office if they themselves plan to continue to work remotely everyday? I feel like they want us to work onsite everyday so that they can work from home everyday. Is this ethical, or even legal. Why is that no one is talking about or addressing this disparity?
In case of my current employer the reason is that they make life miserable for many, so those affected will resign on their own. In that case companies don’t pay any severance packages. It is happening in my current company. They laid off 700 people in April, they immediately announced RTO plan mandatory…
There is a huge amount of toxic behaviors in the veterinary field not just tech or reg office jobs. I'm a vet tech and have had to job hop many times because of the toxic behaviors that come up. The burnout is real. I used to just deal with it but not anymore. The last straw was at my last employer. A few months ago I found out that my mom has dementia. She was living in a different state and I was trying to do everything I could to help her out. Well my job after being ok with me leaving early a few times to take care of an appointment decided that even though they said it was ok it wasnt and I didnt know. Then one day my manager that was always friendly to me would not even give me the time of day. So I set up an appointment with HR to see what was going on because I wasnt getting anywhere with the manager. At that meeting they expressed how sorry they were for my mom and me....then after talking for a bit gave me a warning letter telling me all these things that were not acceptable. I was like huh!? Why didnt anyone say anything to me? I mean really during this hardship time in my life with my mom thats what you do? Needless to say I didnt stay much longer after that. My mom was coming to live with me and I need time off. They gave me a real hard time with that and thats when I knew I was done. I took my time off, unpaid, and after that week I got text from manager saying what my schedule was for the next week. Nothing on how's it going or will you be able to work these days. The next day I wrote back I'm resigning because I need to take care of stuff in my life. So now down to one paycheck with husband working and stressed out even more...but I will get through this. I always do.
Please more on this. As a 31 y.o. with a 26 y.o. partner have been struggling so hard with these aspects in every employer. It’s definitely been around for quite some time but it’s so clearly on the surface since the pandemic and people have so much less shame about behaving this way towards people in their communities.
Don’t be afraid to jump around. 29 yo with a 25 yo partner and partner has jumped around a lot with no issues and immense growth. It’s not easy, stay true.
33 with a 26 y.o. partner here. Been laid off twice in the last three years (one was c@v¡d related, one was just pure incompetent management in a startup), each time jumped 30k with my current position being fully remote with an established remote-first company. The hardest part is compromising on your desire to get remote work, especially when dumb@ss recruiters are trying to guilt you into taking lower quality work. Keep your head up and don't compromise unless you have exhausted all options. Hybrid and remote work still accounts for about 1/3 of all positions in the US (remote is about 9%), and you can always keep looking if you don't get that killer job in the first place. Keep your head up.
Working from home has been very beneficial due to my disability making it painful to drive. Post pandemic they have been pushing for me to come back to the office despite having doctors notes saying it would be harmful to my health. My HR has been fighting with my doctor even though he filled out all the "reasonable accommodations" paperwork and explained my disability. I've been working from home for years now because of the pandemic better than I did in the office. Haven't had to take time off work like I would have if I had to go to the office.
Currently laid off. I’m finding hundreds if not thousands of applicants for remote roles I look at. I’ve started focusing on local employers with in-office full time because I don’t feel I have a choice. I haven’t been in an office since March 2020. Also, I’m finding just about every person I talk to hates their job and feels super overworked and underpaid. People are absolutely burned out.
I've been watching your videos for quite a while and it has helped me cope with the damage inflicted to me by my previous work experiences. Now, I'm trying to thrive as a freelancer and an independent artist at the same time.
Company let me go so they could temporarily increase profits and secure series B funding, now months later they are re-hiring for my position. Companies and especially start-ups have no loyalty.
I wish to never work in person again unless I am a contractor or owner-operator. I like the peace and quiet of being away from maladaptive and emotionally unstable people with personality disorders!
The no lay-off thing I think is often optimistic belief by the company or at least the supervisors. I was laid off during that situation at one job. The HR person and my boss (and coworkers) seemed more surprised than I was. If they tell you no one in your department will be laid off...someone is looking at it. So it may happen. Not a toxic work environment. Hired back contract a while later. It was what it was. I honestly was surprised at HR, boss, and coworker reactions. I told them it was just business. HR, boss, coworker seriously more disturbed than me. Had a job in the works (which didn't last long, but long enough) for position which was financially preferable and much lower commute.
I recently left a very toxic job after 4 months of trying to make it work. The owner was our everything-manager and his background was not in the industry. He refused to listen to anything his employees who collectively had 30+ years experience in the industry. Every time I attempted to speak on some of the issues we were facing and all thinking; I was blown off and ultimately targeted. I put my two weeks in planning to work every shift; but was let go mid way through. I didn’t even use them for reference or on my resume because my experience and background overshadow anything I did there. Plus, I have a part time job that I’ve had for a long time, so I never have to explain any gaps or job hope. Luckily, I found a job that I’m starting soon that hasn’t given me any red flags yet and seems to have their heads on right. It’s the same work and same hours, just different company.
Bryan, how important are references? It seems unfair if one has been laid off and not fired. It’s not like the employee did something wrong, when a company lets go off people and files for bankruptcy. In this case it seems unfair for the interviewing company to ask for references. - Amy
I have never thought of toxicity in these terms. For me the standard was simply an environment where control was more important than productivity. Perhaps I have been overly fortunate in work life, but as long as the leadership was more interested in productivity than microing behavior in the workplace the word toxicity never applies. But when you get that one guy who just impulsively needs to know or control everything in the workspace...things go bad fast.
Be careful. That’s typically code for upper management needing to get “metrics” for certain cost cutting decision. It’s an old school tactic. I rewarded those inquiries with so many reports, that eventually I was told I no longer needed to provide reports. These days technologies are such that my managers know exactly what I’m doing, and it saves everyone having to deal with such TPS reports.
@@thenigerianfile that’s what I’ve been thinking. And they got someone to do both one job and be trained on my job - I think they’re planning on either letting me go or finally letting me move up in the company and turn this position into part time. Knowing how companies are these days, it’s likely the former.
I worked at one place where many employees including my manager thought the best way to bring up a concern about another employee's work was to email them plus cc their manager and as many of their co-workers as possible. Upper management tried to clamp down on it but it continued. The company languished for years after I left and then was shut down. It had a lot of potential but the good employees would end up leaving
@@rachelr8837 yes and very unprofessional. I would recommend to any manager seeing this go on to tell the employee to stop sending those emails and if they continue, to put them on a performance improvement plan, even if they are a top performer and considered irreplaceable
And lo and behold my employer sent out an e-mail today with their plans to start bring more people back to the office. Most remote workers are still in the clear but we'll see how long that lasts. I also caution against constantly switching jobs if something isn't to your liking. There are problems at most employers and no company if perfect. It's all a matter of what you will tolerate. If you have an abusive boss and back biting coworkers then it might be time to risk changing jobs but keep in mind that some employers frown upon frequent job changes as it might mean that the employee is hard to please and never satisfied. In my view good companies to value longevity.
Most people (except highly skilled talented people or people that have worked their way to the top) aren't entitled to be happy at work (sad but true). Also some bigger employer's (as well as anywhere where there's no limit to how much profit they can make) try to demoralize staff as a way of keeping everyone in line/place - in a way I kind of admire it. These are hard truths. Also as someone who has been out of work training a few times (sometimes for extended periods of time including 12 months because of the pandemic). I am grateful I have a job, I don't take it for granted and have learned to accept my circumstances. Have a good day..
The is no such thing as a non toxic large employer. There are extremely few small employers that are nontoxic. Start your own business and make it a point to not allow yourself to suffer toxicity. In this pay environment, you don't really have much to lose.
You're right! After sharing my experiences in a VERY large organization (from which I recently retired) with many other people, I found out that most were suffering at least as much as I was. The ONLY exceptions were those who worked in places with fewer than 50 people.
If your an older worker, if you in your 60's good luck finding another job. Unless your in a super hot tech security job or filling a higher management possition.. you may as well die.
My laptop got restarted this morning… a new welcome screen informed me that the company reserve rights to monitor and record ALL activities performed on this machine…
I had a call centre job 20 years ago where our 'not ready' time was emailed to us alongside our entire teams not ready time each week. 'Not ready time' was for when you weren't taking a call, so basically typing up notes, going to the toilet or having some breathing space between calls. The purpose was to shame everyone into having the lowest not ready time possible. It was really inhumane. They then moved all the jobs to India to pay cheaper wages. Companies like that are quite simply terrible. Back then we mostly just had to put up with it, I'm glad to see the younger generation discussing these issues and insisting on better conditions.
I'm an IT contractor termed by a Fin-Tech employer. I came back from Florida vacation last month, and was termed the following Friday (well aware of at-will). No rhyme, no reason (wouldn't disclose why I was termed). Had no idea my job was in jeopardy. Looking back the team I was working with was being run by a pretty toxic manager. But yea, those 8 signs couldn't be any more right
@@donnafromnyc my BIGGEST fear is contractors will soon phase into the gig economy where there's work ONLY for 3-6 months and will soon have to move onto something else, rather quickly. How does this sustain an economy?
Or instead of layoffs they just don't increase pay, let people leave and then don't replace them. Same effect, but easier for them instead of having to lay people off.
Great videos, Bryan! I've seen all of these and some!! I'm thinking about starting my own business within the next 1 or 2 years, and forget working for someone else!!
@@ALifeAfterLayoff I'm trying to save enough money where I can go ahead and work on my own business 100% of the time, and not have to work full-time or part-time in IT until I get to that point, like I'm doing now. Maybe, I'm going about it the wrong way? I want to start a Tech consulting business where I can hire Tech professionals to do short and long-term contracts for small and mid-size businesses. I already have the LLC registered, the accounting and budgeting worked out, the potential employees, etc figured out. My only concern right now is: How do I add my own LLC on a resume to find work in IT (I'm a Network and Software Engineer by profession) where an employer will not question my commitment and devotion to their organization? I intend to go at it full-time in 1 or 2 years once I start making enough money, but for now I'm working part-time and full-time contracts and projects. I need some guidance so I can go about it the right way.
I highly recommend if you are in the trades or have specialized skills to apply for city, county, state or federal jobs or school districts. These are usually union and more secure. Some can be toxic but overall they are better jobs than corporate America. Ensure you continue to develop and vary your skills. For example if you are in distribution, logistics or transportation or IT, Metro transportations systems, Cal Trans in CA or other government transit type jobs are in demand. School districts need tech experts and teachers. Speech and Language pathologists are needed in virtually every school district in the country so go back to school. Look for what is in demand instead of letting corporate America beat you down. School nurses are needed in large school districts. These jobs are generally less big brotherish.
The problem with Government Jobs is that they don't like hiring Contractors to come onboard full-time! Also, they are too nosy in the application and background process! They want to know all your jobs the last 7 to 10 years and I'm not listing all the jobs I've had during that span because they aren't relevant to the job I'm applying for! There are other reasons why I don't usually apply for government jobs but those are the main 2!
@@izamalcadosa2951 What kind of contractors? My district hires electricians and plumbers. Yes you have to have a background check. That's not being nosy
My employer has been in business for 50 years and never once laid anyone off. But now, they've made so many business mistakes and they refuse to pay us more, while expecting us to DO more, while our systems don't work right, our customers are angry, they take it out on us, and housing has gotten to be completely unaffordable. In the last year and a half, 500+ people have quit. That's leaving the rest of us to pick up the slack. I'm actively looking for a job someplace else, as this is one of just 4 large companies in our area. We are in a rural area, and don't have many options.
Brian, get the intro going again, come on man, what's wrong with you. The snazzy snappy intro was what brought me into your videos and now you've just pulled it from us. Get it on man and we can get excited about your videos again.
I used to work in an office and hated it. Five years ago I joined a company that only had remote workers. I love it. Will never go back to an office environment again. Talk about a productivity suck, work in an office.
I love your quality content, thank you! I am working for a company that required everyone to go remote during the pandemic, then proceeded to move office to a remote location (for some at least 3 hours away) and now wants everyone to start trickling in to the office.
Thank you for sharing this, it’s very insightful and provides perspective on the changes happening in the workforce. I look forward to your next vids and I wish you all the best!!
All of these are going on at the large financial institution I just left, not Citigroup, including the computer and badge-swipe monitoring. To add to your list, at the bottom after all the other items have been occurring, add a mental check out by HR in terms of helping you resolve any toxic situations you are trying to fix, even as a win-win, such as team or manager issues. You further become likely to be eliminated in the next reorg... as the complainer.
This is a great way to sell your training. Make people aware of their workplace to induce a sense of urgency. Their anxiety will have them clamoring for an easy answer. Then sell them a course or a boot camp. Excellent marketing!
A lot of companies want 5 days in the office. I appreciate the honesty. Yet some companies make hybrid as a bait. They promise “once your training is done” but never had a solid job training and they won’t let you work from home. Or they simply change their mind.
I notice signs of trouble at a job six month ago that I was let go from, like the real estate market cooling and my work load getting very light. I straight-up asked my supervisor if I should be concerned. He just brushed it off and a couple of days later I was called into the office and laid off. Today I just saw my position being reposted on Indeed. 🤔They sure do like to hound me about reviewing the places that I’ve work for ….😏 I won’t be petty, just honest 😇
Several companies ago... The badges were RFID and they had access to the section of the floor where you were at all times (not sure of the precision but certainly to several sections and which floors)..... I don't know for sure what metrics were tracked but they actively had the data and there was a team with access that did who knows what.
Everywhere you work is going to have politics and BS. My management just announced that they want to focus on improving morale right after they just had a roundtable meeting with the employees "listening" to our concerns while simultaneously telling us "yeah we don't care." The way I look at it I can't find a better paying job in my field than where I'm at now (golden handcuffs) so I'm just going to show up and do just enough work to satisfy my overlords but not do anything extra for them.
my company's definitely toxic, i'm remote, but i had to work christmas week while having covid because it was an app breaking issue that needed to be handled and they kept asking me because I was the only one not on paid time off/vacation but just sick at home. Obviously this is probably why they gave me a big bonus for performance review but i think it's just hush money to not sue them for that. my work life balance also sucks because everything is an "emergency" so i can disengage after work hours and i find myself still working way after for little to no recognition for finishing tasks early or even on "time" because nothing wouldve changed if it got delayed by another few more days in my workplace but they always make it sound like a big deal as a scare tactic.
I like working remotely but feel completely ignored most of the time and it feels like you have to be in the office to actually get information. Not to mention, I feel like people don’t participate in meetings that are virtual.
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alifeafterlayoff.ck.page/90f448df25.
As many millions baby boomers retire each year from now to 7-10 years, the worker shortages will get worse. Even more I'm proud of MILLENIALS and Gen Z who quit very often or do work boycotting while still getting paychecks as a punishment back for decades of random layoffs firings, cutting of pensions, outsourcing, offshore jobs, automating away jobs. That and the refusal of large percentage of Millennials and Gen Z to have children willd destroy the cheap future slave labor workforce that organizations are counting on.
As an HR employee, HR lies 100% of the time. Protect yourself and learn how to live in rest and peace. Employers are NOT loyal.
As a manager I completely agree.
Interesting..can you help me understand why? How does lying to the employees benefit the system to achieve greater success and profitability?
It feels fundamentally broken to have a system that doesn’t enable the employees knowing the expectations and how to meet them. An employee that knows what is needed of them accurately can better operate in the team and contribute to the greater goals of the company.
@@EloTheCurious most of the lies come down to a few things. 1) keeping trade secrets, secret. It’s impossible to know which employees will accidentally release information that can cost the company money. 2) telling an employee they can spend $50 dollars a day in discretionary money means they will spend $50 a day. It’s a kinda broken logic that many employers believe in. I don’t believe that. 3) it keeps employees from filing legitimate claims that could result in the employee making more money. 4) it keep’s employees from knowing how much money they could make if they asked. 5) it keeps the system always in favor of the employer. 6) it stops complaints before they happen when an employer makes it seem like everything is fine. Employers want happy employees as they are more productive. So they will lie if the ship is sinking and on fire.
I don’t agree with all of this but that is the view point of many employers including my own. I am middle management and I know this is how my company feels. That’s why I take it upon my self to get the truth at all times. A lot of it is broke. Logic that doesn’t work. This is also why many companies have eliminated physical HR departments and have everything get done via remote. It dehumanizes the entire process in an effort to keep employees from filing claims/complaints. As I said it’s a lot of broken logic as them not accepting these claims/complaints can cost the company more in the long run but many companies are afraid to change anything. You know the old adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. The truth is that old adage has bankrupted numerous companies.
@@EloTheCurious It is easy. HR is not there to protect you. They are there to protect the company from you. So lying is essential
@EloTheCurious as an employee you're replacable. Some roles much more so than others. Even if you're a good, or great employee many companies will throw you under the bus if they need to.
What's best for business isn't what's best for the employee. 'The higher the monkey climbs, the more he shows his arse' is something I was told once.
The problem is that you can't really find out that a workplace is toxic until after you've started the job. And unless you're open to starting and quitting jobs over and over until you've found a non-toxic one, you might end up feeling pressured to stay and tough it out for an entire year just so you don't seem like a job-hopper to future employers.
You're right, but I don't let it stop me. If I'm unhappy I leave. Jobs are not prison sentences & these companies need to start understanding the world we live in now.
Plus, some jobs only become toxic over time. Mine used to be great. It only became toxic when they wanted everyone to return to the office and I had to remind them of my medical condition that made that difficult and dangerous.
I’ve found you can generally sniff that out during the interviews. He’s got some great vids about how to do that.
Usually they pay more than average. More pay, more toxic. Less pay, more chill workplace
@@withpikachu2402 not always. Mine is less pay. It was chill. Now it's become toxic.
I had a supervisor once who monitored badge logs to see who took too long of a lunch or too many smoke breaks. So, me deciding to be petty, used my entire lunch hour for a week to walk around the building and badge at every entrance, and open & shut the door. He didn't appreciate that much, but he stopped monitoring the badge swipes. 😂
Love this- well done 😂
MVP behavior, love it
The worst part about that is when they apply those rules to some, but not all. Sometimes hyper-compliance is the only way to stop the stupidity, but usually they double down on it and get mad because you highlighted it. Micromanagers are small people (pun intended)!
I love hearing about shit like that. I bet you're the office jokester :p
Modern problems require modern solutions 🤣
Another sign is corporate cringe. You've seen examples on Josh Fluke's channel: companies doing silly, childish things on social media to make it seem like a good place to work. Corporate cringe, however, is a sign of lack of boundaries and respect. If you stay out of "team building events" you will be targeted and harrassed.
Joshua is a legend. Love his channel!
"we are looking for people with (company name) in their DNA". When I heard that (on a grad scheme I joined after university). I knew I wasn't going to be there for a long time. Also the training I received didn't do anything for my prospects except look good on applications etc. I have found having regular work experience ie customer service, interacting with people, office politics and culture etc were more valuable than technical training in niche areas. Have a good day reader.
@@gerardsloan1593If companies want their employees to be as passionate about it as the CEO, there has to be real incentives. Pizza parties and a pat on the back doesn't pay our bills.
What WILL make employees stay engaged are rewarding them with shares of company stock and bonuses. If you go cheap on your employees you will get minimal returns.
Yep(Verizon)
I pretty much tell everyone straight up. I'm not here to work, I'm here to get paid. If I'm not getting paid, I'm not going. Since my employer only values cold hard cash, me too. I'm following the example they're putting out.
If I'm not being paid, I won't be there. I'm not trying to be anyone's friend. I'm not going to your bar b que. Work is work. My life is my life. I won't be associating with coworkers on my personal time.
If I see you on the street, I'll try to avoid you as best I can.
When I quit, you're all dead to me. You mean nothing.
Money talks, bullshit runs the marathon.
For me the worst traits of a toxic employer are: Dishonesty, Nepotism, Cronyism and backstabbing. I've worked in a workplace that had all of the 4 traits I mentioned and let me tell you.. it was like living in hell. Thank God I'm out of there.
Sounds like you have some experience in smaller companies like me. You've got a pretty good list going, Ive got about 30 years of working experience and those are definitely things that exist.
I just quit a nepotistic employer it was horrible ! All family! The HR department was the owners daughter ! It was a mess and when I found out other DsP who knew the owner were getting paid more I lost it and quit on the spot
All good things to screen out when you're looking for a new job!
You should add gaslighting to the list too...when you make a reasonable complaint about something that only the management can do something about, your reality is completely denied.
@@nunyafawkingbiz sounds like you worked for the Firefly family!
I walked away from a 21 year state government career after our HR & senior leadership became toxic and told me they would deny me using my USE OR LOSE vacation when my wife needed help at home for a month recovering from surgery. After 3 years of teleworking due to the pandemic, I was told teleworking wasn't a workable option, but also taking a month off was "detrimental to the workplace". Bye Felicia.
Sickening, you did great job. Family first
Vacation “requests” are notifications and not requests. Try to deny my vacation and expect to see my resignation.
@@mwwhitedmore people are starting to respect themselves like you which is why Resignation are increasing by the year
The returning the office baffles me along with all others who don't have any of their coworkers or managers working in the same office. I am supposed to drive into the office so I can hop on virtual calls? I can do that from my home office. I have yet to hear a single credible reason for why I should waste my time driving into the office to do the exact same job I can do at home.
Imagine being responsible for that type of toxicity at the workplace. How do you go back home, look yourself in the mirror, and think to yourself you're doing a great job
I've wondered that myself.
@@ALifeAfterLayoff its called Narcissism. It's a very common trait of management to think of themselves and only themselves to get ahead in the work place. Stop and think about how often you hear about backstabbing in the work place, or bosses who would push you off the building if you were in his way. These people will make up EVERY excuse in the world as to why it is okay for them to do what they do and not a bad thing.
I was famously told (by someone with committments and dependents)- that "must do" is a good motivator. Sometimes you need to adjust your personality and do what needs done to get things done (work colleagues are not your friends). I know now why some people in authority (like building sites etc) are ruthless. Have a good day reader.
@@gerardsloan1593 Yeah, you hear that in business alot. It's called black mail. Do what I say or I will make your family starve. The same "bosses" who do that, are the same bosses who lay off workers cause the company needs to increase stock or pay for a stock buyback programs. Those are the same people who lose customers by reducing purchase of product to fraudulently supply stock holders with paper figures to "legally" lie about profits. Those people are "government protected" con artist who should be thrown in jail. The very moment a boss tells you, "You don't have to come in today but it wont look good if something happens" is the moment you need to find another job. If they are willing to emotionally bully you they are willing to throw you off a building for themselves. It just had to be done, he was in my way. Some shit head with money threatening you so they can make more money is not a good reason. Stop making excuses causes you're afraid.
@@CallegriaofSoulbound 💯!!!
It’s unnerving how detached the big company corporate culture is from human behavior. There are issues in startups too, but there’s more familiarity with your staff in a start up.
We the People are the real problem. If the majority of us didn't accept the lies everything would change. We allow this to happen and they, the slaves and administrators of evil, know and capitalise on it.
Getting ready to quit my housekeeping job at a mall. Turn over is horrible and we are always short staffed. The operations director just told my boss today that he doesnt care if we only have 2 people working for the entire mall, he still wants the task list for 6 workers to be done everyday. No exceptions. They also pay us 2 dollars below the industry standard and expect people to bend over backwards. No thanks, lol.
We are in The Age of Greed.
A toxic trait I’ve personally dealt with a lot of when the toxicity moves down. When you start having middle managers, and then senior coworkers say “well, you made them act that way”
It’s time to run, not walk. You are not responsible for other adults emotions.
We had a supervisor rip at all departments later in the day when people were shopping later in the day like 7:30 at night. He yelled at all departments because things were not full in the cases perfectly
That's all too common now. I wish I didn't know that by experience.
Owners just tried to blame me for the bad management and poor behavior of this new person they just put in charge of several departments. She literally does nothing but cause problems and doesn’t manage anything but somehow I am to blame since I’ve been adversely affected by her incompetence.
The #1 toxic trait is requiring people to come into the office for duties which can easily be done remotely.
I have had several companies contact me trying to fill IT positions, and my response to them is always the same..."I am only interested in remote positions."
And if everybody else had that mentality, corporations would eventually need to cut their shit.
One thing comes to mind... Elon Musk!
I had a boss who was so toxic that when I saw him walking toward me with that scowl on his face I'd side step him and walk down another aisle. He later got promoted to home office and then was fired. When I heard the news I told a coworker that only God knows why bads things happen to good people 😂.
lol yeah karma comes back around for sure.
Toxic environment here too. The company's policy is to terrorize the staff by saying jobs are hard to come by and we need to go above and beyond no matter what. My boss lacks experience in management, he plays favourite and has employed those who cannot pose a threat to himself. I go to work but wish I could be somewhere else instead. I have bills to pay and at my age the chances of finding a new job that pays a decent salary are slim.
I know of several people leaving because we are currently doing more with less and supposedly it’s going to get worse. Think supermarkets
“Employed those that are not a threat to himself” cannot be understated. I felt that every single day in my last, hateful job, where I was literally told I’d have to “manage up” in dealing with my completely idiotic and inept “manager” - told this by HIS boss like…..why tf did you hire him then? Make it make sense
@@ninabeena83 Here's the "sense": what you're describing is a company shareholder.
You will get sick, trust me. I lost more time and money due to stress related digestion illness than the accumulated wages. It's not worth it. Go find a job at a supermarket or similar, MUCH less stress.
Corporate toxicity has been there from a long time. Now it's on steroids. Never compromise your health, sanity, well-being, ethics for a bad employer. Leave ASAP!!!
The expression “the fish rots from the head” says it all really. Culture good or bad cascades down through an organisation. What I have learned is that you cannot change the culture of a business, it’s deep rooted. In many ways we make judgements based upon how much we’re prepared to tolerate. One good measure for me is when you move from having four good days a week and one bad to having four bad days and one good. The observation made regarding a lack of energy in the business is very true. Jaded, demotivated people limping through to the weekend. The very same people whom were hired for their enthusiasm, dynamism etc.
The director and manager over a department sets the tone for that environment. For most of my 35 year career, I've worked in toxic mismanaged departments. It's a miracle that I didn't become an alcoholic because of it.
Those first 3 signs you always be vigilant for. Never stay loyal to any company. I came full circle and seeing manipulative ways of companies.
Good points. I may add one more slightly different one - management becoming too comfortable working remotely themselves reducing communication between them and to the rest of the company of important things like strategy, business decisions and general leadership. It seems like quiet quitting but on Executive level. Wonder if someone has noticed this behavior themselves.
The tracking kills me. There are SO many jobs that include inherent idle time. I love a busy day so time goes by quickly, but sometimes there is no "busy" work to do. We have very defined roles. I can't just call a co-worker's customer and take over their project. The boss doesn't have enough side projects to fill the time, especially when a customer cancels 5 minutes prior to a 2 hour training.
U shouldn’t be expected to look and take extra work. 👎 why punish urself for doing ur job well?
Another sign of a toxic workplace is that they place qualified people on Performance Improvement Plans or PIPs. I got placed on lots of them. When I asked for specific evidence, the boss refused to give it to me. Those companies go downhill as a result. One HR person who participated in my PIP is angry that every new boss lays him off before the 6 months are up.
As soon as you're placed on PIP you need to leave that company.
@@Jupiterxice i learned that the hard way. Foolishly stayed on to the bitter end. The cards are stacked against you and it’s their way of pushing out.
@@carolinevh8849 I was placed on one and I only entertain it for a week. I saw the PIP what it was just a way push you out after the mental burnout you have. It was unrealistic benchmarks the PIP had.
My husband and I have a running list of "falsehoods" (gaslighting phrases) said by employers.
1. We encourage work/life balance.
2. The company is fully funded.
3. Manager: "my door is always open."
Free free to add to our list!
we are a family
we have no recruitment issues
we do not need to pay the market rate for jobs
whatever the amount of work requested you cannot say it is impossible to fulfil all requests
we do not overload people with work
we need to do more wth less
having one member of staff work days and overnight callout for weeks in end is not a problem and its just the way if the world.
`Any questions ?`
TY. I found workplace bullying was the worst. Too many cliques and stuff in the academic sector. Maybe it gets better as a professor but I never made it out of the tutoring labs.
The academy is gross.
My "Christian" company possessed all these toxic traits all the while touting "Christian" purpose and values. I took early retirement.
That's why I am not religious. Most who claim to be "christian" will screw you.
I’m a Christian, and strive to live my faith seriously (not this consumerist DIY church of me evangelical stuff).
Im 65, and I’ve worked in my fair share of toxic environments. I couldn’t agree more, the places that purport being faith based are generally the more toxic employers. That’s personally a red flag for me.
I think I know what company you are talking about. I tried to temp with them via Robert Half back in the day. They would always be wish washy. I gave up and went to another place, where I was hired full time. Seeing how they treated employees (and seem to only want a certain type of person working for them) I dodged a bullet.
Most Christians are Pharisees…few are saved
My employer no longer supports work from home, irrespective of the nature of the job. It also had a 10% layoff. I no longer keep any personal things at my work desk. No personal files on the work computer. If I am laid off suddenly, I won't have to struggle to get personal things. Hope another layoff never happens, but there's no harm in being mentally ready.
As the old saying goes “the best defense is a good offense”.
I've learned to do that also, I don't leave anything at work. As today can always become my last day when I walk out the door.
Longtime subscriber. Wanted to say your advice, especially regarding networking, helped me land a new job immediately after being laid off.
This week I and other former coworkers were told the owners sold to a new company and I was told my position would not be kept on right after. This completely blindsided me.
Though all the warning signs you mentioned have been happening, and so I was ready to jump ship anyway before the layoff.
Within an hour an old work colleague got me in touch for the new position, which I secured right away based on my experience and familiarity with the hiring manager.
Take all of Brian’s advice, especially regarding being the CEO of your own career, to heart. Companies now in the post-capitalist dystopia will throw you out on the street right away with no warning if it saves them money on the bottom line.
Look out for yourself and always be ready to levy connections for better opportunities and survival.
Love hearing stories like this! Congrats!
@@ALifeAfterLayoff Thanks! Appreciate you giving us all this valuable insight. Just know you’re doing a good and useful thing.
I should add this new position is actually a promotion. And though it’s a $4,000 pay reduction, I’m actually moving to an area where the cost of living is lower so I’ll actually be taking home more money.
What I have experienced in the tech industry is that micromanagement has increased and everyone is over-worked. The pandemic made managers too comfortable to come back to the office full time and the inflation caused a hiring freeze despite all the growth.
Exactly.
What does micromanaging look like in tech work? I’m considering transitioning.
@@newagain9964 Not to be arrogant but you can definitely google it yourself and get more results than I can write here. In short excessive supervision of employees work and wanting results in a very specific way are common micromanagement tactics in tech industry.
I work for federal government and this stuff is happening here too! Thank god for the employment protections we have on this side but honestly it hasn't made things much easier day in and day out. I dont know what's happened to folks but no one seems to care about personal branding, integrity, or anything of the sort.
Yeah I am in the federal government I am doing a job well beyond my grade tried to tell our new managers and section chief what's up and they won't listen. There is only 3 of us doing what they need and they have no one else to help so going to swap divisions.
💯. It’s especially true even in the military and IMHO it’s a factor as to why folks are not joining or reenlisting.
@@bluetickbeagles116 What you're describing is an inevitable CONSEQUENCE of being in the military. Why do you think the Draft existed for so long? Nobody in their right mind wants to join up voluntarily.
This happened to me at my workplace too. The boss announced there would be no layoffs in our department despite the fact that other departments were already hearing about layoffs. The day before, we all got called to a meeting. Boss still denied there was anything wrong. The day of the meeting, we got told that there were going to be layoffs. Why cant these bosses just be honest and say "yes, there is a strong possibility that there may be layoffs" so we can prepare? But outright lying?
Because the good people leave first. Those who were just middling to hanging-on will get nervous, but stay because they have fewer prospects or are used to sliding under the radar and after the best employees bolt through the door, you are stuck with the mediocre or worse employees.
Organizations are not telling everyone company-wide to return to the office. That would not be a problem. The issue is they’re trying to pick out certain employees to work onsite everyday while they themselves can work from home everyday. That’s why they’re getting pushback.
My god, that's literally my ex-boss. He demanded everyone was back in the office because he wanted to "see our faces." but himself only showed up in the office maybe once a week for an hour or so just to socialize!!!
I personally like working in the office rather than WFH. It gives structure and routine and there is the social component. I appreciate that WFH can help with commuting to work or if you have family etc. But it can be isolating (also extra time in bed in the morning which is good lol). Have a good day reader.
Exactly, I left a toxic work space because they took away WFH flexibility for only the BIPOC employees. They did it by saying one department (which was entirely people of color) couldn't work from home anymore, while allowing all other departments (majority white) utilizing the WFH staff policy of 2 days/week at home. That was the last straw for me, the indirect racism.
The big problem is that is it predominately senior leadership that remain in a work from home setting. Then they lose touch...
I've been forced to resign. And this was all true. All the lies poured down from managers. Funny thing is, in the focal review I was just given an increment in salary 15 days back.
They made us feel so low. We worked late nights for 6 months daily. It all felt crumbling down.
Now I'm interviewing well and going to have some good news in this week or month.
I've also seen how even after clearing all interviews, companies would say "we are not moving forward with you even though we liked you so much, and the indepth discussion that you've provided"
So yeah for me my next step is to become my own CEO and maybe going forward create my own business of services of software.
Let's just hope for the best and wishing prosperity to everyone!
Does anyone else think that the RTO initiatives are likely the byproduct of CEOs and similar figures getting pressure from the real estate market (or government?) that unless commercial real estate starts to fill up again, values will plummet and the economy will tank? I think that is what is likely behind this. I sincerely hope that eventually, there will be a return to remote work, with more ways to monitor employees and make sure that trustworthy and responsible people are able to work from home without needing to be supervised all day in a toxic office environment.
If we all tried to work for companies with sustained integrity? Nobody would have a job.
I've found over my 30 year career and 4 different companies that the industry I'm in has what most might consider a toxic environment. I'm not sure if my attitude has changed because of the pandemic or because I'm older and have a solid work history to fall back on but I'm finding myself not being as triggered by the toxicity as I once was. I do the best job I can and put in extra effort to satisfy my own integrity but I'll no longer do the arguably unreasonable things I once did for the sake of staying off of the lay-off list.
Age discrimination is the real thing, past 40 you are toast after that, people have stomach problems because they need a job to pay their bills, nobody cares about you in the workplace, every man woman child for themselves!😅
I also have a 25+ year career and work in higher ed, considered one of the most toxic areas to work in. I work 100% remotely and find I'm not nearly as triggered by the toxicity as I was working in person, which for me is a top reason to never go back to working in-office. I also find that because I work remotely, and because of my solid work history and institutional knowledge, that I can stand up to the unreasonable people/requests much easier.
Trying to make people come back to the office for most office jobs is asinine. What can't be done? You can have meetings, you can screen share, you can collaborate on slack/teams which everyone was doing anyway before the Pandemic. Engineering is already online for most tasks anyway working through git and deploys remotely just like they were when in office. You reduce traffic, accidents, pollution, need to rent out huge offices. Its just win win all around.
Shitty managers who need to justify their job want it back to office. Managers who think walking past your desk occasionally is managing. You have to set expectations and talk to your employees. Most people working from home do not want to risk that perk and will do work. Yes some don't and abuse it, but you can easily see that in what they deliver. Boomer shit managers who can't adapt their style or hate change want it back.
Elon Musk had that absolute asinine comment about how Its no fair to the blue collar guys or the people on the line who have to come in. Its not a comparison, its just what is necessary to do the job. Forcing people to come in because others have to is asinine. What does that change for the people who have to be in anyway? Oh, everyone gets to work inside with AC. That isn't fair to people who have to be outside. We should turn the AC off so its equal. See how dumb that is?
What’s even worse is how it forces people who relocated during the pandemic to have to relocate again or lose their job. Some people bought houses etc. I lost my job and am finding it hard to find another remote one that doesn’t require me to relocate or come in 3 days a week. It’s ridiculous.
@@charliedallachie3539 Did your company promise it would stay remote forever, or did you ask first before moving? Its a shitty thing for a company to do, but if you didn't do your homework before moving to confirm your assumptions for such a large thing that's sort of on you too.
I bought a home and moved too, but my company promised they were fully WFH and I confirmed with my boss/CTO/HR outlining my plans too.
@@charliedallachie3539 That part! Constantly while in the house buying process, I've paused because I'm considering jobs which used to be remote but are shifting to hybrid, fully in person, etc. Now I'm unsure where to buy, between the few cities I'm nearby.
100% spot on
Yeah manangers have to justify their existence and high high salaries
I have a feeling that when a company says thier not going to do layoffs it's so that people don't panic and or become unproductive in the job.
On Friday a boss from US come over to Dublin. He presented how great we we’re doing, how sales and products are growing… on Monday 3 out of 5 IT engineers were laid off, and several developers. The reality, never ever trust managers and CEOs, always be prepared, treat your gig as a contract job, no feelings, no going beyond BS.
My workplace has been toxic for a while. When I first started working in my current position, I noticed little things but over time I started to see more and more. In my several years of working at my job, I have seen many people come and go. It seems most people only stay for about 2-5 years before leaving, so a fairly high turnover. I went back to school once I saw that my job was a dead end. I'm now trying to figure out how to work for myself because I tried the rejection and trying to fit into a place that doesn't really want me but needs a body to do the job. For the last 3 years, we have been trying to do a record migration and have been receiving pushback from the other team members. I'm at the point where I don't care if the record migration happens or not, I working on my escape plan.
Forcing people to commute is a great tactic to get people to quit so they don't have to pay unemployment.
Bingo
I totally disagree. While I don't think forcing people to come into the office 5 days a week is warranted, I saw the damage during covid when we all worked from home. The new joiners never acclimated to the team and stayed distant and 'remote'. No one who joined our department during covid lasted more than two years. Interpersonal in person contact is so important.
@@shuki1 I didn't say anything about damage, acclimation nor in person contact. You're disagreeing with something I never said.
@@shuki1 Everything you said is non-sense!! Interpersonal and in-person contact is not necessary in the modern working world, in 2023! This is not 1983!! It is a choice and most younger millennials and Gen Zs don't want or need interpersonal relationships at work, if they aren't necessary! They just want to go to work, do their job and go home! I'm 43 years old and I don't want to or need to interact with people I work with because it's not really necessary! Everything can be done remotely in the 21st. Century!! You have not adapted to the new way of doing business in the super modern working world!
While office comeraderie used to be a good reason to be in an office setting, it sure does seem to be a dying or dead sentiment of yesteryear.
A few of the ways I've seen now.
1. Quiet hiring. If it's healthy, they aren't trying to hoodwink you.
2. RTO demands - There was usually a promise of "for the foreseeable future." But clearly senior management went on their word. A lot of the current stress is due to commercial real estate values cratering. But there's control and a bunch of other stuff.
3. We wear a lot of hats here - This is to compensate for layoffs. No, Mr Lundberg; you're too cheap to pay for what you need.
4. Layoffs - Any survivors live in a hellscape of backbiting, paranoia and dysfunction.
5. Data silos
We were issued laptops at the beginning of the pandemic. We had desktop computers up until then. We were issued them specifically so we could work from home. Our boss decided we weren't going to be allowed to work from home because we couldn't be trusted. Even though she can monitor us and we have never done anything that would make anyone think we were up to no good.
Yes, not so subtle toxic signs, indeed!
Employers will also use the camera on the computer to monitor and track while you're in the office. They cant do this when you're WFH as it is an invasion of privacy.
Yet another reason for forcing employees into the office.
Boils down to a lack of trust, regardless of whether the work is getting done.
Always wondered if doing something they wouldn't want to watch might deter this camera spying. Ex: doing work with mouse in one hand and nose picking with the other. Just a thought.
6 out of 8
Leaving in 4 weeks
They’re feeling free to be toxic exactly because of the workplace situation right now.
Just recently, my hours have been cut for almost half after being with the company for almost 10 years while my boss decided to hire another person in our department full time who will be paid much lower than me!😂 So I felt betrayed as there was no warning of the plan and just hit me right there! Obviously, they are compensating the new person at my expense. I have been with the company through thick and thin, most especially when our department was sinking as 1 left and 1 was let go and I did all the work for months without complaints and this is what I get in spite of my loyalty & hard work. Now I think it's time to find another work place where I am respected and valued as I dread even thinking of working for this company again.
Your employer has no loyalty to you. So why should you be loyal to them. Have a good day
@@gerardsloan1593 I know, time to think of exit plan....😉
@@sunshinewolf5980 thank you for your time. As above lol. Have a good day
I was out of the workforce for a few years before the pandemic and then returned two years ago, so I don’t know if this is pandemic related, but the hours are just crazy now. It seemed like before being a “dedicated employee” meant you didn’t rush out the door at 5 and pushed on the odd project. Now I find no one leaves before 7, 12 hour days are common, weekends are the norm. I just worked 10 straight days and when I was leaving yesterday my boss was like “oh man, we’re really slammed tomorrow, do you think you can help out?” I had to say no. I have worked a couple places and also been back in the industry social scene, and it seems industry wide, not just my company. Is anyone else experiencing this?
Wow... I have not experienced this before. My current and previous employer for the past 23 years were respectful of "work-life balance." However, I have heard stories just like yours from friends. What industry do you work in? Are you in a professional contributor position or front line hourly? Life is short and I would not put up with what you are experiencing. I would be looking for a change outside of your industry if this is the norm. I wish you the very best.
That's crazy!!
@@flyakadventures8946 What this individual is describing is company-wide dysfunction. Either there aren't enough employees or the company is very poorly managed (funny how the latter often leads to the former). Either way, a red flag is waving in a strong wind.
Hi. The problem I’ve seen with being called back into the office is that the people (eg. managers, supervisors, leads, etc.) telling us to return onsite are all working from home every day. And they plan to continue working from home every day. So, can they really tell us to return to the office if they themselves plan to continue to work remotely everyday? I feel like they want us to work onsite everyday so that they can work from home everyday. Is this ethical, or even legal. Why is that no one is talking about or addressing this disparity?
Just good old fashioned hypocrisy
Great point! I hope he does a video on this.
In case of my current employer the reason is that they make life miserable for many, so those affected will resign on their own. In that case companies don’t pay any severance packages. It is happening in my current company. They laid off 700 people in April, they immediately announced RTO plan mandatory…
There is a huge amount of toxic behaviors in the veterinary field not just tech or reg office jobs. I'm a vet tech and have had to job hop many times because of the toxic behaviors that come up. The burnout is real. I used to just deal with it but not anymore. The last straw was at my last employer. A few months ago I found out that my mom has dementia. She was living in a different state and I was trying to do everything I could to help her out. Well my job after being ok with me leaving early a few times to take care of an appointment decided that even though they said it was ok it wasnt and I didnt know. Then one day my manager that was always friendly to me would not even give me the time of day. So I set up an appointment with HR to see what was going on because I wasnt getting anywhere with the manager. At that meeting they expressed how sorry they were for my mom and me....then after talking for a bit gave me a warning letter telling me all these things that were not acceptable. I was like huh!? Why didnt anyone say anything to me? I mean really during this hardship time in my life with my mom thats what you do? Needless to say I didnt stay much longer after that. My mom was coming to live with me and I need time off. They gave me a real hard time with that and thats when I knew I was done. I took my time off, unpaid, and after that week I got text from manager saying what my schedule was for the next week. Nothing on how's it going or will you be able to work these days. The next day I wrote back I'm resigning because I need to take care of stuff in my life. So now down to one paycheck with husband working and stressed out even more...but I will get through this. I always do.
Please more on this. As a 31 y.o. with a 26 y.o. partner have been struggling so hard with these aspects in every employer. It’s definitely been around for quite some time but it’s so clearly on the surface since the pandemic and people have so much less shame about behaving this way towards people in their communities.
Don’t be afraid to jump around. 29 yo with a 25 yo partner and partner has jumped around a lot with no issues and immense growth. It’s not easy, stay true.
33 with a 26 y.o. partner here. Been laid off twice in the last three years (one was c@v¡d related, one was just pure incompetent management in a startup), each time jumped 30k with my current position being fully remote with an established remote-first company. The hardest part is compromising on your desire to get remote work, especially when dumb@ss recruiters are trying to guilt you into taking lower quality work. Keep your head up and don't compromise unless you have exhausted all options. Hybrid and remote work still accounts for about 1/3 of all positions in the US (remote is about 9%), and you can always keep looking if you don't get that killer job in the first place. Keep your head up.
I'm lost. What does having a partner, or for that matter, their age have to do with this topic? Not trolling, I just don't get it
@@kevinmach730bragging lol
Working from home has been very beneficial due to my disability making it painful to drive. Post pandemic they have been pushing for me to come back to the office despite having doctors notes saying it would be harmful to my health. My HR has been fighting with my doctor even though he filled out all the "reasonable accommodations" paperwork and explained my disability. I've been working from home for years now because of the pandemic better than I did in the office. Haven't had to take time off work like I would have if I had to go to the office.
Yup, sums it up really well. Currently in a metrics driven environment.
Currently laid off. I’m finding hundreds if not thousands of applicants for remote roles I look at. I’ve started focusing on local employers with in-office full time because I don’t feel I have a choice. I haven’t been in an office since March 2020.
Also, I’m finding just about every person I talk to hates their job and feels super overworked and underpaid. People are absolutely burned out.
I've been watching your videos for quite a while and it has helped me cope with the damage inflicted to me by my previous work experiences.
Now, I'm trying to thrive as a freelancer and an independent artist at the same time.
Company let me go so they could temporarily increase profits and secure series B funding, now months later they are re-hiring for my position. Companies and especially start-ups have no loyalty.
It’s money, it’s business, no loyalty, it’s a business, exchanging services for money
This is a great video! You pointed out all the traits of my last employer.
I can't believe I worked in a company that has all 8 signs mentioned in this video, for 4 years!
After seeing this video, now I'm glad I was laid off.
I wish to never work in person again unless I am a contractor or owner-operator. I like the peace and quiet of being away from maladaptive and emotionally unstable people with personality disorders!
The no lay-off thing I think is often optimistic belief by the company or at least the supervisors.
I was laid off during that situation at one job. The HR person and my boss (and coworkers) seemed more surprised than I was. If they tell you no one in your department will be laid off...someone is looking at it. So it may happen.
Not a toxic work environment. Hired back contract a while later. It was what it was. I honestly was surprised at HR, boss, and coworker reactions. I told them it was just business. HR, boss, coworker seriously more disturbed than me.
Had a job in the works (which didn't last long, but long enough) for position which was financially preferable and much lower commute.
I recently left a very toxic job after 4 months of trying to make it work. The owner was our everything-manager and his background was not in the industry.
He refused to listen to anything his employees who collectively had 30+ years experience in the industry.
Every time I attempted to speak on some of the issues we were facing and all thinking; I was blown off and ultimately targeted.
I put my two weeks in planning to work every shift; but was let go mid way through. I didn’t even use them for reference or on my resume because my experience and background overshadow anything I did there. Plus, I have a part time job that I’ve had for a long time, so I never have to explain any gaps or job hope.
Luckily, I found a job that I’m starting soon that hasn’t given me any red flags yet and seems to have their heads on right. It’s the same work and same hours, just different company.
I experienced most if not all.Retirement is a lot better.
When the optics (non-customer outsiders' perception) becomes more important than the work we actually do.
Bryan, how important are references? It seems unfair if one has been laid off and not fired. It’s not like the employee did something wrong, when a company lets go off people and files for bankruptcy. In this case it seems unfair for the interviewing company to ask for references. - Amy
I have never thought of toxicity in these terms.
For me the standard was simply an environment where control was more important than productivity. Perhaps I have been overly fortunate in work life, but as long as the leadership was more interested in productivity than microing behavior in the workplace the word toxicity never applies. But when you get that one guy who just impulsively needs to know or control everything in the workspace...things go bad fast.
I’m someone who gets everything done every day, and now they’re having me write weekly reports of everything I do 😂
Be careful. That’s typically code for upper management needing to get “metrics” for certain cost cutting decision. It’s an old school tactic. I rewarded those inquiries with so many reports, that eventually I was told I no longer needed to provide reports.
These days technologies are such that my managers know exactly what I’m doing, and it saves everyone having to deal with such TPS reports.
@@thenigerianfile that’s what I’ve been thinking. And they got someone to do both one job and be trained on my job - I think they’re planning on either letting me go or finally letting me move up in the company and turn this position into part time. Knowing how companies are these days, it’s likely the former.
You’re likely on the way out. But u should be job hunting anyways because that’s bs
I worked at one place where many employees including my manager thought the best way to bring up a concern about another employee's work was to email them plus cc their manager and as many of their co-workers as possible. Upper management tried to clamp down on it but it continued. The company languished for years after I left and then was shut down. It had a lot of potential but the good employees would end up leaving
That's horrific and highly embarrassing!
@@rachelr8837 yes and very unprofessional. I would recommend to any manager seeing this go on to tell the employee to stop sending those emails and if they continue, to put them on a performance improvement plan, even if they are a top performer and considered irreplaceable
Have you heard of many companies offering redeployment to avoid redundancies during a round of layoffs.
And lo and behold my employer sent out an e-mail today with their plans to start bring more people back to the office. Most remote workers are still in the clear but we'll see how long that lasts. I also caution against constantly switching jobs if something isn't to your liking. There are problems at most employers and no company if perfect. It's all a matter of what you will tolerate. If you have an abusive boss and back biting coworkers then it might be time to risk changing jobs but keep in mind that some employers frown upon frequent job changes as it might mean that the employee is hard to please and never satisfied. In my view good companies to value longevity.
Most people (except highly skilled talented people or people that have worked their way to the top) aren't entitled to be happy at work (sad but true). Also some bigger employer's (as well as anywhere where there's no limit to how much profit they can make) try to demoralize staff as a way of keeping everyone in line/place - in a way I kind of admire it. These are hard truths. Also as someone who has been out of work training a few times (sometimes for extended periods of time including 12 months because of the pandemic). I am grateful I have a job, I don't take it for granted and have learned to accept my circumstances. Have a good day..
@@gerardsloan1593 ha, what a good slave you are
well done - well written and presented. Im loving these videos- suprisingly! Info dense - in a warm, approachable tone.
much appreciated!
Maybe it’s time for me to start working for myself.
The is no such thing as a non toxic large employer. There are extremely few small employers that are nontoxic.
Start your own business and make it a point to not allow yourself to suffer toxicity. In this pay environment, you don't really have much to lose.
You're right! After sharing my experiences in a VERY large organization (from which I recently retired) with many other people, I found out that most were suffering at least as much as I was. The ONLY exceptions were those who worked in places with fewer than 50 people.
If your an older worker, if you in your 60's good luck finding another job. Unless your in a super hot tech security job or filling a higher management possition.. you may as well die.
My laptop got restarted this morning… a new welcome screen informed me that the company reserve rights to monitor and record ALL activities performed on this machine…
Time for you to start looking for another gig, my friend!
Yes, look for other job
I had a call centre job 20 years ago where our 'not ready' time was emailed to us alongside our entire teams not ready time each week. 'Not ready time' was for when you weren't taking a call, so basically typing up notes, going to the toilet or having some breathing space between calls. The purpose was to shame everyone into having the lowest not ready time possible. It was really inhumane. They then moved all the jobs to India to pay cheaper wages. Companies like that are quite simply terrible. Back then we mostly just had to put up with it, I'm glad to see the younger generation discussing these issues and insisting on better conditions.
I'm an IT contractor termed by a Fin-Tech employer. I came back from Florida vacation last month, and was termed the following Friday (well aware of at-will). No rhyme, no reason (wouldn't disclose why I was termed). Had no idea my job was in jeopardy. Looking back the team I was working with was being run by a pretty toxic manager. But yea, those 8 signs couldn't be any more right
Good luck, same happened to me in February and it’s been a rough job market. Still job searching unemployed as an IT contractor myself.
@@donnafromnyc my BIGGEST fear is contractors will soon phase into the gig economy where there's work ONLY for 3-6 months and will soon have to move onto something else, rather quickly. How does this sustain an economy?
Ive noticed in tech, if you work in sales, majority of times they’ll have you work In-Office or Hybrid, but never exclusively remote.
The harsh reality... This a beacon for those navigating this turbulent job market🙌
Or instead of layoffs they just don't increase pay, let people leave and then don't replace them. Same effect, but easier for them instead of having to lay people off.
Thank you for your consistency, Bryan. Enjoying the valuable content 👌
Glad you're finding value here!
Great videos, Bryan! I've seen all of these and some!! I'm thinking about starting my own business within the next 1 or 2 years, and forget working for someone else!!
Why wait?
@@ALifeAfterLayoff I'm trying to save enough money where I can go ahead and work on my own business 100% of the time, and not have to work full-time or part-time in IT until I get to that point, like I'm doing now. Maybe, I'm going about it the wrong way? I want to start a Tech consulting business where I can hire Tech professionals to do short and long-term contracts for small and mid-size businesses. I already have the LLC registered, the accounting and budgeting worked out, the potential employees, etc figured out. My only concern right now is: How do I add my own LLC on a resume to find work in IT (I'm a Network and Software Engineer by profession) where an employer will not question my commitment and devotion to their organization? I intend to go at it full-time in 1 or 2 years once I start making enough money, but for now I'm working part-time and full-time contracts and projects. I need some guidance so I can go about it the right way.
I highly recommend if you are in the trades or have specialized skills to apply for city, county, state or federal jobs or school districts. These are usually union and more secure. Some can be toxic but overall they are better jobs than corporate America. Ensure you continue to develop and vary your skills. For example if you are in distribution, logistics or transportation or IT, Metro transportations systems, Cal Trans in CA or other government transit type jobs are in demand. School districts need tech experts and teachers. Speech and Language pathologists are needed in virtually every school district in the country so go back to school. Look for what is in demand instead of letting corporate America beat you down. School nurses are needed in large school districts. These jobs are generally less big brotherish.
The problem with Government Jobs is that they don't like hiring Contractors to come onboard full-time! Also, they are too nosy in the application and background process! They want to know all your jobs the last 7 to 10 years and I'm not listing all the jobs I've had during that span because they aren't relevant to the job I'm applying for! There are other reasons why I don't usually apply for government jobs but those are the main 2!
@@izamalcadosa2951 What kind of contractors? My district hires electricians and plumbers. Yes you have to have a background check. That's not being nosy
I call BS. Government jobs are some of the most corrupt, nepotism filled workplaces
My employer has been in business for 50 years and never once laid anyone off. But now, they've made so many business mistakes and they refuse to pay us more, while expecting us to DO more, while our systems don't work right, our customers are angry, they take it out on us, and housing has gotten to be completely unaffordable. In the last year and a half, 500+ people have quit. That's leaving the rest of us to pick up the slack. I'm actively looking for a job someplace else, as this is one of just 4 large companies in our area. We are in a rural area, and don't have many options.
Brian, get the intro going again, come on man, what's wrong with you. The snazzy snappy intro was what brought me into your videos and now you've just pulled it from us. Get it on man and we can get excited about your videos again.
Thank you for your channel.
I used to work in an office and hated it. Five years ago I joined a company that only had remote workers. I love it. Will never go back to an office environment again. Talk about a productivity suck, work in an office.
I love your quality content, thank you! I am working for a company that required everyone to go remote during the pandemic, then proceeded to move office to a remote location (for some at least 3 hours away) and now wants everyone to start trickling in to the office.
Thank you for sharing this, it’s very insightful and provides perspective on the changes happening in the workforce. I look forward to your next vids and I wish you all the best!!
All of these are going on at the large financial institution I just left, not Citigroup, including the computer and badge-swipe monitoring. To add to your list, at the bottom after all the other items have been occurring, add a mental check out by HR in terms of helping you resolve any toxic situations you are trying to fix, even as a win-win, such as team or manager issues. You further become likely to be eliminated in the next reorg... as the complainer.
That’s how it worked in my last corpo job.
HR is never your friend either.
This is a great way to sell your training. Make people aware of their workplace to induce a sense of urgency. Their anxiety will have them clamoring for an easy answer. Then sell them a course or a boot camp. Excellent marketing!
A lot of companies want 5 days in the office. I appreciate the honesty. Yet some companies make hybrid as a bait.
They promise “once your training is done” but never had a solid job training and they won’t let you work from home. Or they simply change their mind.
I would check out regardless,
Those people don't sound like their worth working for anyway.
I notice signs of trouble at a job six month ago that I was let go from, like the real estate market cooling and my work load getting very light. I straight-up asked my supervisor if I should be concerned. He just brushed it off and a couple of days later I was called into the office and laid off.
Today I just saw my position being reposted on Indeed. 🤔They sure do like to hound me about reviewing the places that I’ve work for ….😏 I won’t be petty, just honest 😇
I did voluntary work remotely, as my employer gave me work I could do very easily via emall, in my own time , as this suited my disability .
Lays people off and then not too long after starts hiring people.
Several companies ago... The badges were RFID and they had access to the section of the floor where you were at all times (not sure of the precision but certainly to several sections and which floors)..... I don't know for sure what metrics were tracked but they actively had the data and there was a team with access that did who knows what.
Everywhere you work is going to have politics and BS. My management just announced that they want to focus on improving morale right after they just had a roundtable meeting with the employees "listening" to our concerns while simultaneously telling us "yeah we don't care." The way I look at it I can't find a better paying job in my field than where I'm at now (golden handcuffs) so I'm just going to show up and do just enough work to satisfy my overlords but not do anything extra for them.
Great content, Bryan!
my company's definitely toxic, i'm remote, but i had to work christmas week while having covid because it was an app breaking issue that needed to be handled and they kept asking me because I was the only one not on paid time off/vacation but just sick at home.
Obviously this is probably why they gave me a big bonus for performance review but i think it's just hush money to not sue them for that.
my work life balance also sucks because everything is an "emergency" so i can disengage after work hours and i find myself still working way after for little to no recognition for finishing tasks early or even on "time" because nothing wouldve changed if it got delayed by another few more days in my workplace but they always make it sound like a big deal as a scare tactic.
I like working remotely but feel completely ignored most of the time and it feels like you have to be in the office to actually get information. Not to mention, I feel like people don’t participate in meetings that are virtual.
By the 3rd day I realised my mistake.