the blog post brings up a variety of issues with me. at what point is a manager, leader or company going to be held accountable for bad management, toxic work environments and blatant disregard for their employees? i recognize that it’s challenging to speak out in the job, and easier to walk away and never speak of issues again. we’ve always said that one should never “bad mouth” a former employer. what are the rule for bad mouthing? and why is it an issue when interviewing a potential hire? if someone doesn’t discuss the issues, the next person entering the former environment is caught unaware of the toxic nature.
i’m mulling over the complexity of situations, moving on, never discussing the issues, or carrying baggage for too long. just mulling.
A guest post from an eBossWatch user:
After having worked with numerous toxic bosses in my career, I have developed some methods to hedge against a toxic boss.
Anytime I take a new job, I believe you need about 9 months to see what kind of environment and culture you have joined. An interviewer/employer/toxic boss can be amiable in an interview just like being on a first date and they will show their best and hide any toxic behavior until they become comfortable. You need some time for them to drop their guard.
Here is the scenario – you have been job hunting for some time and probably have made many contacts and sent out plenty of resumes. Well, not every company will respond to you and some respond at different times.
If you end up taking a job for the sake of being able to pay the bills, do so, but DO NOT announce where you have gone to anyone except for people you can trust. Do not let recruiters know where you are interviewing – they do not always keep things quiet and will bring up things to you from 8 years prior. One even insisted I list my current job in which I was there for only 3 days. You are better off having a gap in your resume than a short employment stint.
DO NOT make announcements on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter and so on. If you take the job and find out it is not a fit, and leave or are fired – you will add the burden of explaining a short stint on your resume for the next number of years. People may question your performance or feel you have poor judgment. What if your dream employer calls you a couple of months after you start? It will not bode well for you – so keep a lid on it.
Next thing one should do is never stop looking for a job and continue networking. If you are constantly out there and if your new boss turns out to be toxic, you can bail out a lot easier since you have momentum. I had one experience where a new co-worker said to me, you are the 5th person that has been in your position during the last year.
There is no reason to bring up bad experiences to a future employer. Even if the future employer suspects the gap on your resume was a bad employment stint, they will respect you for being professional and pretending it never happened. Would you hire a complainer that cannot let go or someone that knows how to move on without incident?
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