Mita Mallick knows bad bosses.
Through her previous roles in marketing and HR, Mallick experienced a wide range of toxic boss behavior, not limited to yelling, micromanaging, gossiping, taking credit for others’ work and napping through meetings.
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“All these years later, I still remember these people,” she says — as well as their harmful effects on the workplace.
According to Mallick, now an author and workplace strategist, “we all come to work because we want a paycheck, but we also want to be recognized and valued for what we do,” she says.
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A bad manager can have a negative impact not just on team morale, but on productivity and work quality, too, she says — not to mention turnover rates.
Mallick writes about the impact of toxic managers in her upcoming book
“The Devil Emails at Midnight: What Good Leaders Can Learn From Bad Bosses,”
which debuts in September.
Here’s what she’s learned about how to spot bad bosses and avoid unhealthy workplaces.
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For Mallick, the biggest sign that your prospective boss might be toxic is how they behave during the job interview.
“It’s their first impression, so they should be on their best behavior,” she says. If not, “that’s the red flag.”
According to Mallick, punctuality is just as important for the interviewer as the interviewee. If your prospective manager is repeatedly late “without apologizing,” she says, they probably won’t respect your time in the workplace.
Additionally, Mallick says, their demeanor can provide a clue to their management style. She cautions job seekers to avoid leaders who seem indifferent or “disengaged” during the interview: it’s an indication that they won’t be available for mentorship or guidance, she says.
Overall, Mallick recommends paying close attention to how your prospective boss talks about the organization. Honesty is always appreciated, she says, but when a supervisor openly complains about their company, it may be a sign of their own bad attitude, or of a toxic work culture — both of which are major red flags.
“I’ve been in interviews where people will tell me, ‘This is a really tough place to work. It is rough.’ And I was like, ‘Wait, you’re trying to sell me on this job, right?'” she says.
Still, Mallick understands why many people overlook bad behavior in interviews: “Sometimes you want a job so badly that you ignore it.”
Earlier in her career, Mallick says that she “fell into a trap” of pursuing jobs that she viewed as impressive, despite noticing significant red flags along the way.
Rather than chasing prestige, job seekers should focus on finding a positive, productive workplace, Mallick advises.
“Don’t get caught up in what looks good on your resume, versus what you actually will be doing there,” she says.
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