How do you know if a company has a good work culture?

You’ve done the work to figure out what you want, what’s most important to you, what your values are, and your non-negotiables, and now you are wondering, how do I know if the job or the company will actually meet the things I want? How do I know if they have a good work culture?

I get this question all the time, and I get it, it’s a hard one to answer. So often I hear people saying, they told me in the interview they have a great work/life balance, or in every meeting, they keep saying they support us, but they don’t in practice. You do need to look at both what people say?and?their actions.

So how can you figure this out?

Here are 6 tips to get started:

The best way to get accurate information is to talk with people?*before*?you apply or interview for a job

• Don’t be afraid to ask someone to introduce you, put a request out in a networking group, or to even reach out cold on LinkedIn. When I have someone reach out to me about a place I worked that wasn’t great, I usually jump on the phone right away to let them know the pros and cons
• It’s totally appropriate and fair to say something as simple as: “I’m exploring my next role, and I’m interested in learning more about ABC company. I’d love to hear about your experience working there.” Most people love to help out
• If you find this uncomfortable, you’re not alone! But just keep the cost of not doing it in mind: you could end up somewhere that treats their staff horribly
• Bonus:?find someone that used to work there, but doesn’t anymore, they might be even more honest about what the culture was like
• Ask open-ended questions (see?Follow your Intuition?below) for the most accurate information. Some easy ones to start with are:

Have an open mind around reviews

• Glassdoor: You definitely need to take the reviews on Glassdoor with a grain of salt, since it’s like Yelp, generally people who post reviews either had an amazing experience or a horrible one, but I do think it’s helpful to get a sense of themes. Don’t take one bad review as a sign not to pursue an opportunity, but do you see there are 5 or more reviews where people mention work/life balance is lacking? Or that it’s hard to grow and get a raise?
• Fishbowl?is another option to explore

Look at the language that the organization uses closely.

• Most organizations will have an about page that describes their mission and vision. Some will even include their values. Do you share any similar values? Or complementary ones?
• Look closely at the language in the job description. If you are looking for work/life balance I’d avoid places that use language like “fast-paced” or “you’ll always go the extra mile” I’d even be careful with things like “skilled at managing lots of different priorities and a changing environment.” Think closely not about if you are capable of what they are describing, but are they describing an environment you want to be a part of?
• Also look at their Instagram, Facebook, if they have pictures of company outings, etc… What are people doing? How do they look? What’s the story that they are trying to portray about their organization? That they are intense and hardworking? Or like to have fun?

Once you are in an interview, ask open-ended questions

• Remember they want to fill the position, so they want to paint a good picture of what the role is like and their company, so if you ask, is there good work/life balance, the answer is going to be yes!
• Instead ask: “Can you describe a typical day or week here?” Or “What hours do you expect someone in this role to work?”
• Other options that can help get more information: “A year from now, what results would you love to see from someone in this role?” and “What type of support does this role have to reach those goals?”
• If it’s an interview with the person that would be managing you: “How would you describe your management style?” “What are the ways you like to communicate with your team and how do you like them to communicate with you?”

If you are in person, pay attention to how people look, what the office looks like, etc…

• Are things clean and organized? Do people look stressed out and unhappy? Do people seem friendly? How do they decorate their office? What kind of work environment would you be in?
• Of course, since COVID offices are different now, but usually you can get a pulse of what the energy is like

Last, follow your intuition

• Trust your gut. You’re more discerning than you know. How did you feel after the interviews? In the office? Reading about the organization? Thinking about the role? No job is perfect, but if you sense some red or orange flags, pay attention to those, and make a decision with eyes wide open. I have definitely made the mistake (multiple times!) of having a feeling that something was off, but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what, and it turning out badly in the end.

What else has worked well for you?