10 Signs That a Job Isn’t Worth Any Money

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

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

If your manager tries to avoid talking about your pay increase, it’s a red flag. After all, your work is not your hobby or some charity. You work for money.

• My brother was hired by a renowned company that produces phones. They were interviewing him for 6 months. Eventually, they said, “Okay, we’ll hire you with a trial period.”
  He asked, “What will my salary be after the trial period?” The manager looked at him weirdly and said, “Alex, you’re asking an inappropriate question. We don’t like people who only think about money.” He worked there for 4 months, and quit.

Your colleagues and managers tend to call you outside working hours.

If your managers call you during lunch, this is bad. But it’s even worse if your boss or colleagues text you at any time of the day or night.

• Getting email replies on a Tuesday night or sunny Sunday afternoons. If they’re communicating with you when the rest of the world is living their life, chances are you’re about to give up yours. © Matt Bennett / Quora

An employer makes impossible demands.

You can find out a lot about your potential employer, even during a job interview. For example, they may ask you when you can start. And if your new job requires relocation, surely you can’t do that immediately.

• I once interviewed with a company where I would have been relocating across the country to work for them. There were 3 rounds of interviews. After the final interview, it was over a month of silence from them until they made an offer but told me I had less than 24 hours to let them know my decision. I would have been moving 2,000 miles away from home to a place I had never been or even seen before (the interviews were completely virtual).
  They wanted me to start 6 days after the offer had been made. When I asked if there was any flexibility for me to have more time to think it over or have more time to move out there, they said no. They needed the decision the next day, and if I accepted, I would be starting in less than a week. I declined the offer. © aattanasio2014 / Reddit

An employer often uses the word “family.”

Sometimes, you may hear from your management, “We are all one big family here.” Perhaps, this is a way of manipulating you.

• If they mention the word “family” a lot, this is a huge red flag. At work, you’re there to make money, do work, and move forward, not be a family. I know very few “functional” families.
  Any company that says they are one big family means there are a few people who dictate, and the rest must fall in place, or else be removed. You want to be part of a “team,” not a family. A team moves things forward. A family bickers, plays favorites, etc. © Harold M. Smith / Quora

You don’t look good after starting your new job.

Our negative emotions can affect our looks. And if you look tired and sullen after starting your new job, this is also a red flag.

• If you come home after a day of work and your friends and family ask you if everything is okay, and this has been happening frequently since you got your new job, it means something is wrong with the new job. © Henry Landau / Quora

A company has high turnover.

High turnover in the company is a big red flag. Before accepting a job offer, it’s worth learning more about the company you plan to work for and finding out why the person whose position you’re about to take left the company.

• I’m new! He’s new! Everyone is new! Unless they’re growing — and you can tell by recent office moves and new furniture and equipment — they probably have high turnover. You’ll be new until you’re newly unemployed. © Matt Bennett / Quora

You often have to work extra hours.

Unfortunately, nowadays, working extra hours seems to have become a normal thing to do. However, sometimes this can become an almost 24/7 job.

• These are the red flags of a bad company. They give you a free dinner from a nice restaurant if you have to stay after 7.
  They have a gym in the office, free daycare service, and a laundry service. You need to keep an extra suit in the office and can have unlimited time off. Translation: you will never leave the office. © ohio_redditor / Reddit

Your management ignores lunch breaks.

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

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

There is toxic atmosphere in the office.

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

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

An employer makes big promises.

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

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

Make sure to check out another article where we discuss seven hidden tactics that job interviewers use to assess you.