I've kind of become an expert at leaving jobs. Specifically, I've learned how to recognize when a workplace has turned to shit, having now left three places where that's happened. I'll not name names here, but I will say it's been the right decision each time, and it's much more fun to watch an explosion from afar than up close.
So, here are four sure-fire warning signs to watch for. If you see these popping up at your workplace, get your résumé in order and start looking.
- Self-evaluations.
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Basically the self-evaluation is a numbers game in which there is no true evaluation taking place. Financially, the employee's goal is to make the self-evaluation as good as possible so as to get the largest raise possible. The manager with budgeted amount "X" for raises needs to distribute it among all the employees properly. Which means, inevitably, all those good marks have to be dropped down because "X" isn't large enough to give everyone the amount they've indicated. So, the employees have raised themselves up, and the manager must now find ways to tear them down. I think if employees are being torn down instead of motivated, there are some serious problems afoot. And I understand that if you're a manager, this may not be something you have any control over — but in that case, you should probably ask yourself why you're being forced into a position of tearing your own people down.
- Consultants.
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Once upon a time, I worked at a place which made widgets. I was the top widgeteer. Anyway, they brought in a consultant to tell them why widget production was down. The consultant spent a day or two, snooped around in the appropriate places, figured out what was going on, and told all the people in the low-paying widget production area — including me — that the company was probably going under within six months. He then offered to teach us how to create résumés the right way. Meanwhile, he didn't tell management shit. So it looked like he was running some serious workshops for us, the company was fucked anyway so it didn't matter if production got back up or not (and no one really bothered to find out), and the consultant was getting paid the whole time. While I did benefit from this by learning the right way to craft a résumé, I also observed that the consultant basically pulled off a scam and got paid for it. They are devious, will gladly take whatever money you want to give them, and will tell you whatever they think you want to hear. He was right about the widget company, by the way — the place went belly-up in just under four months.
That said, I have never worked at a company which hired consultants and came out intact on the other side. I have, however, seen a company which had more consultants working on their big project than that company's own employees. Everyone was quite surprised when it went badly. I was not.
- Outsourcing.
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A management trend from the late 1990s and early 2000s which unfortunately still pops up from time to time — kind of like skinny ties. It didn't work then and it won't work now. See if this makes any sense to you. Pay us, Megaoutsource Inc., an annual fee. In exchange for that, we'll take away your best talent and put it where it will be most useful for us, and we'll keep just enough talent on your project to keep it afloat so we can get paid. Oh, and we'll profit from this arrangement, but somehow you'll save money (wink wink).
Sounds to me like Megaoutsource Inc. gets the gold mine in this arrangement, and everyone else gets the shaft. (See also: Consultants.) Don't walk — run!
- Exit interviews.
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If you've reached this stage, you're already on your way out the door — but it's still a very good sign you're moving in the right direction. Have you ever done one of these things? It's a series of questions your soon-to-be-former employer asks of you to see if they could have done a better job getting you to stick around. The answer, of course, is yes — plenty! Otherwise, you wouldn't be leaving. Do you tell them that? Of course not — why burn bridges? So, much like the self-evaluation, the exit interview is another tool employers think can be used for improvement but which the employee has no real reason to participate in. If that improvement process is truly important, it should probably be explored before people are on their way out the door.
This isn't meant to be a definitive list, and there are certainly exceptions to all the examples I've provided. But again — and this is just from my personal experience — these are good indicators things are taking a bad turn, and you'd be well-advised to keep your eyes open.