3 Tips to Avoid Toxic Workplaces

Work can create a strain on your mental, physical and emotional health. It can take a toll on your life inside and outside of the office. Here’s 3 of my most used tactics to avoid a toxic workplace.

1) Obtain the Workplace’s Turnover Rate.
I wouldn’t recommend asking an executive or partner about this in an interview. Talk instead with the administrative staff and see if they would be willing to grab a cup of coffee with you. The way a company treats their administrative staff too is something that will help you avoid a toxic workplace.

2) Rely On Your Gut Reaction.
How do you feel when you walk into the office for your interview? Is it a place you are excited to walk around in, or can you feel the tension in the walls? Your gut can sense the energy in a workplace on a subconscious level. If other employees seem tense or scared, listen to that information, and don’t discount it.

If your workplace will be virtual, how did you feel when interviewing? We’re the interviewers welcoming and calm, or were they abrasive? Did they provide helpful answers to your questions, and were they respectful of your time? Are you going to be provided mentoring opportunities?

3) Poll Staff Politely on Their Experiences.
Talk to multiple employees to see what their experience has been. How long have they been with the company? Have they ascended through the ranks? What type of place is it to work? Don’t rely on a single source for this information, so your sample set is not skewed.

👑 This is an excerpt from my upcoming book, Build Your Empire: A Law Firm Owner's Survival Guide to the Private Legal Industry. Want to read more? Sign up for the waitlist here.