Career Espionage: How to Find Out an Organization’s Work/Life Balance Culture
The one good thing that lockdowns did is force us to re-evaluate our commitment to our jobs and our personal lives. Having no choice but to sit at home and spend time with our families kind of shook us out of our workaholic stupors. We had time to think and figure out if our jobs were enabling us to live the life we want or if our jobs were blocking us from doing so.
Many people realized their lives revolved around their work and that wasn’t how they wanted to live their lives. This invariably led to the birth of the Great Resignation, which has seen people leaving their jobs en masse. In the U.S., reports reveal that over 24 million (yes, million) people quit their jobs between April to September 2021. Note that this doesn’t include the 4.5 million people who resigned in November and the 4.3 million people who left in December.
If you assume that the United States was alone in this crisis, you’d be dead wrong. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reported in October 2021 that 14 million people have exited the labor market and are “not working” and “not looking for work” in its 38 member states. In Latin America and the Caribbean Islands, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO), the region has witnessed the loss of 26 million jobs, of which over 20 million people have left the workforce completely. China saw a 30% reduction in the job market in February 2020, but an increase in freelancers from 30 million, in 2016, to 200 million, by 2021.
The Great Resignation is happening all around us. While organizations assume the reason is that of poor pay, salary increases across nations and industries failing to stop the exodus of staff show that the actual issue is one of poor work/life balance. No amount of money is going to make up for missing out on life. There is no benefit that could be worth passing up life experiences and relationships.
If you are tired of your life revolving around your work and want to find a job that better aligns your desire for work/life balance with your career goals, you are not alone.
Keep reading to learn ways to find out ahead of time if the job you’re interviewing for will give you the balance you want.
What Does Work/Life Balance Look Like for You?
For some people, work/life balance means working only four hours a day, so they have time for school runs or are able to pursue other interests. While for others, it means no work-related stuff after 5 PM. What does work/life balance look like for you?
Are you someone who likes to work long shifts, three weeks out of a month, with the last week off? Do you want to leave the office by 5 PM? Would you prefer to take a really long lunch break so you can go to the gym and workout in the middle of the day?
Define what work/life balance looks like for you. It will make it much easier to find a job that aligns with that when you know what you’re looking for.
How Do You Check a Company’s Work/Life Balance?
You don’t have to wait until after your first day at a job to find out what their attitude towards work/life balance is. Often, a little private investigation can give you all the information you need and save you from disappointment later. So, how do you check a company’s work/life balance?
1. Evaluate the Job Description
When reviewing a job advert, try to read in between the lines to gauge what they’re trying to say in a politically correct manner. A stressful job where you’ll work long, hard hours won’t come out and say that on the job description or even hint at that during the interview. But they will say something like “enjoys working in a fast-paced environment” or they’ll say they are looking for someone who is “passionate” or wants to “build” something.
While these statements may seem innocent enough, in certain situations, it’s a sign that you’ll do a great deal of work. For example, in startups and small businesses, which by the way are notorious for having lean teams, phrases like usually mean you’ll work your fingers to the bone, all for the joy of the mission (the pay won’t be great either).
Read job descriptions carefully and look out for red flags.
2. Do a Background Check on the Company
There are many ways to get information on a company. Websites like Glassdoor and Indeed are great places to get reviews from current and former employees of companies. But be sure to take what you see there with a grain of salt, as bitter former staff will be sure to leave some negative reviews.
Customer reviews may even also be a good place to check. If customers are leaving a lot of critical reviews, you might want to reconsider your decision to join the company. At the very least, the bad reviews will show that you’ll be dealing with a lot of irate customers and that’s never fun.
Check your network for connections who may know someone who works or used to work at the company you’re interested in. LinkedIn makes this easy by allowing you to see if you have any connections there.
Talk to people who work in the same industry or field as the company you’re interested in. Perhaps they have some information about what it’s like to work there. They may even know someone who works there or used to work there. Whatever the case may be, they’ll likely be able to give you the juicy gossip about the reality of the organization.
3. Dive Deep Into LinkedIn and Social Media Profiles of Past and Present Employees
So you don’t have any connections in common with anyone in the organization and no one in your network can give you any information. Don’t fret. There are other ways to get the low-down.
Check out the LinkedIn profiles of past and present employees. How long did they stay at the company? Did they leave after working there for less than a few years? Short tenures and a high employee turnover, especially if that seems to be the pattern at that organization, is a huge red flag. This can be a sign of employee burnout or poor management. Neither of which is good for your mental/emotional health and work/life balance.
Keep in mind though that in some industries, moving frequently between companies is fairly typical. If you work in such an industry, note if the turnover for the company is higher or in line with what is considered normal.
Also, go through their social media posts. Are former or present employees always posting about long hours or going to the office over the weekend and holidays? This is another clue that things might be skewed more towards work and less towards life.
4. Observe the Culture
Try to schedule your interview around lunchtime or around closing time. If your interview holds during lunchtime, note if people are eating at their desks or if they’re leaving the office to have lunch elsewhere, or if they’re even having lunch at all. Each of these has different implications.
If employees are eating at their desks or not having lunch at all, the workload is probably so much that they can’t take a break. Or they may have a boss who makes it uncomfortable for them to leave their desk for a break. No one is that passionate about their job that they’d rather skip eating or prefer eating at their desk. Something is clearly wrong. But if they have the freedom to leave for lunch, then that’s a good sign.
If your interview holds around closing time, you’ll be able to see what the atmosphere is like, especially if your interview keeps you there after closing time. How many people are still in the office? Is everyone still around working as normal? Or do people seem to be wrapping up for the day? Are there just a few people around?
While you are there for the interview, look around the environment. Ask for a tour if possible. Do you see a sign of a wellness program for staff, such as an on-site fitness center or wellness classes? Was the interview chaotic or did it seem planned and organized? Do the people working there look stressed and overworked? Are there any personal effects or pictures on people’s desks? Are people friendly or are they focused on their computer systems as if their lives depended on them?
Look around and observe the culture of the company.
Work/Life Balance Interview Questions
The interview is not just for the hiring manager to ask you questions, it’s an opportunity for you to find out about them as well. Don’t feel shy about asking questions. Or worse still, not ask any at all.
Just ensure you ask intelligent questions. Don’t ask about things that you should know, for example, “what kind of business are you into exactly?” (Yes, this was an actual question an applicant asked me during an interview. No, he did not get the job.)
When you ask your questions, don’t just listen to what they’re saying. Also, listen to how they’re saying it and what they are not saying. If they’re skirting around the question, you probably won’t like the truthful and direct response. Or if they’re saying the company is a delight to work in, but their face conveys something different, be wary.
Everyone is supposed to be on their best behavior during an interview, including the interviewing panel. So they are going to be careful with their words. They’re not likely going to be upfront if the working conditions are less than ideal.
You may not know how to ask about work/life balance. Or you may wonder, “can you ask about work/life balance in an interview?” Won’t it make you seem…lazy or not ready to work? The simple answer is yes.
Yes, it will make you seem like someone who is not interested in hard work. This is why, when you ask about it, don’t do so directly. Instead, ask leading questions that will point to the information you need.
For those who don’t know how to ask about work/life balance or feel nervous about doing so in an interview, check out the examples below:
- Can you tell me about the company culture and what makes it unique?
- What is your work culture like? How would you describe the culture? Is it more relaxed or chaotic (fast-paced)?
- What does your company do to help its employees maintain work/life balance?
- Why is this position open?
- What would a typical day be like in this position/role? What are people’s general work schedules? Do schedules change at different times of the month/quarter/year?
- Would this position involve a lot of travel?
- Can you provide information about your benefits and vacation policy?
- What are your views on goals, timelines, and measuring success?
- What is your company’s policy on telecommuting or flexible schedules? Do you support it or do you prefer people to keep standard hours?
- What do you like about working here? Note: “Everything” is a red flag. They should be able to mention something specific.
- Are there programs/opportunities for employees to socialize and get to know one another?
- If there’s one aspect of the culture of the company you can improve upon, what would it be?
- Can you tell me about the type of person who succeeds here?
- How would you describe the company in just a few words?
With just one or two of these questions, you should be able to get a sense of the work/life balance culture in the organization. But if any of these questions seem to put the hiring manager or the panel interviewing you off, and life balance is a priority for you, then this job probably isn’t a right fit.
How Do I Know if My Company Has a Good Work/Life Balance?
Maybe you already have a job, but still want to know how your company stands with work/life balance. The truth is, if you have to ask, then it’s not doing well. Or it’s not doing well enough to meet your needs.
The decision is now left to you on how to proceed. Do you want to stay and continue with the status quo? Or do you want to make a change?
There’s nothing wrong with your need for better balance. Don’t ignore your needs for the sake of your career. Remember, your job is supposed to provide you with the means to live your life. If the balance you have right now doesn’t, it’s time to rectify that.
