{"id":508,"date":"2017-11-21T16:41:08","date_gmt":"2017-11-21T16:41:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danielvlopes238992071.wordpress.com\/2017\/11\/21\/5-questions-that-reveal-if-a-company-has-a-healthy-workplace-culture\/"},"modified":"2024-10-11T10:47:46","modified_gmt":"2024-10-11T17:47:46","slug":"5-questions-that-reveal-if-a-company-has-a-healthy-workplace-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2017\/11\/21\/5-questions-that-reveal-if-a-company-has-a-healthy-workplace-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"5 questions that reveal if a company has a healthy workplace culture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Everyone says, \u201cIt\u2019s great working here.\u201d But is it really? Here are the questions to ask to assess if a company has a positive work culture.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cHow do you know if a company\u2019s culture is good?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week, a friend who\u2019s looking for a new job asked me this. She\u2019d been doing a few interviews, and was trying to figure out what questions to ask during her interviews to discern if a potential employer\u2019s workplace culture was healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In each interview, she\u2019d ask a version of: \u201cWhat\u2019s it like to work here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without fail, the person on the other side of the table would tell her: \u201cIt\u2019s great!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But is it really?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you know if a company\u2019s culture is what they say it is?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of asking \u201cWhat\u2019s it like to work here?\u201d these five questions are what I recommended she ask at the end of her next interview\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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#1: When is the last time you had a 4-hour block of uninterrupted time?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Our most productive, creative work happens when we have a large block of uninterrupted time. Yet how many workplaces make that a reality regularly for their employees? Ask a question about the last time your interviewer had an uninterrupted period of time to get work done and listen closely to the answer. Your interviewer may scoff and tell you: \u201cWe like to stay busy, busy, busy\u200a\u2014\u200ameetings all the time, messages constantly on Slack\u2026\u201d Or she may sit there, a little stumped by the question, before slowly answering: \u201cHmmm\u2026 I\u2019m not sure.\u201d Both bring to light a clear truth: The company does not have a culture that values a calm environment where employees\u2019 time is protected for them to do real work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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#2: When is the last time you argued about something with\u00a0someone?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Healthy company cultures have a penchant for heated debate. People who are a part of them are not afraid to voice dissenting opinions and they treat opposing views with consideration and care. You want to dig to see if this is the case at the company you\u2019re interviewing with. Do they suffer from a \u201cculture of nice<\/a>,\u201d where everyone is conflict-averse and afraid to step on anyone\u2019s toes? Or are people abrasive, tone-deaf and handle conflict without any tact? Arguments are unavoidable. They will happen in whatever company you work in next. What\u2019s important is figuring out if those arguments will be handled well. You want a culture where people are upfront and honest when they disagree, and come to a resolution civilly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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#3: When\u2019s the last time you had a conversation with the CEO one-on-one?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

(Or, if you\u2019re interviewing with the CEO, you can ask her: \u201cWhen\u2019s the last time you had a conversation one-on-one with [a person in your role]?\u201d)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an employee, you want to gauge the accessibility of the leadership team\u200a\u2014\u200aand of the CEO in particular. Sure, when you\u2019re in interviews, many companies will point out how their CEO\u2019s desk is out in the open with everyone else\u2019s, or that her office door is never closed shut. Does that mean she frequently gets up from her desk or out of her office, and seeks out perspectives from the front lines? If you have a concern, will it be difficult or seen as uncouth to try get a hold of her? Asking a question about the last time the interviewer spoke one-on-one with the CEO will give you an idea of how seriously the company takes openness, access to leadership, and a desire to hear from everyone in the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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#4: When have you felt most proud to be at the\u00a0company?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This question can uncover what people at the company truly value. For example, someone might say in an interview, \u201cEveryone here is a team-player and we all care about accomplishing our company\u2019s mission.\u201d But if you ask them, \u201cWhen have you felt most proud to be at the company?\u201d they might tell you their proudest moment was hitting a personal sales goal and winning an individual award in the company. While that\u2019s no doubt an accomplishment anyone should be proud of, it does reveal a fondness for individual<\/em> recognition. Compare that to, say, the interviewer telling you their proudest moment was when the company<\/em> won an industry-wide award or when a customer raved about the company<\/em>, etc. Either way, you\u2019ll learn if what makes people proud to work there is about themselves<\/em> or about the company<\/em>. And it will give you a sense of if the same thing would make you proud to work there too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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#5: When\u2019s the last time someone went above and beyond the call of duty at the\u00a0company?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

When people across departments and disciplines are willing to do favors with one another, pitch in to resolve an issue, and not worry about who\u2019s getting credit for what\u200a\u2014\u200athat\u2019s the kind of company culture you want to be a part of. If you\u2019re in a bind at work, you don\u2019t want selfish office politics to get in the way. To clue into whether this is true for your prospective employer, ask about a time someone went \u201cabove and beyond the call of duty.\u201d In your interviewer\u2019s answer, you may hear her struggle to think of even one instance of this (uh oh) or you may hear her rattle off a whole list. From this, you\u2019ll gain an understanding of how people at the company actively help and support one another\u2026 if at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you\u2019re on the job hunt, try a few of these questions at the end of your next interview. You\u2019re bound to learn so much more than asking, \u201cWhat\u2019s it like to work here?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you\u2019re not\u200a\u2014\u200aif you\u2019re an employer who\u2019s actively recruiting new hires\u200a\u2014\u200aask yourself<\/em> these questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you like your own<\/em> answers to them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your company culture may not be as healthy as you\u2019d like to say it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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