The interview had a weird vibe but the most troubling thing was the audacity to tell me, in a first interview nonetheless, that they work extended hours and this is something that they value in employees that come to work there.
They told me that they start at 9 am every morning and they leave around 7:30 pm everyday, but sometimes they stay longer if they are very busy and they absolutely hate it when employees start checking the clock around 7pm to leave. They also told me that sometimes they work on weekends as well, if the work demands it, and at this point, they’ve started making jokes to each other around the fact that now that the government is going to pass a legislation for the “employee’s card” - which tracks how many hours an employee works - they will have to find new ways to work around that. I was baffled by the conversation and I conveyed my feelings that I don't value a work environment that doesn’t value their employees and work-life balance and forces employees to work overtime, and that I don't want to work in a toxic work environment like that.
They told me that their company is not toxic at all and that they are a “big family” - red flag -, because they eat lunches together and they chat on lunch break and because they have office parties at Christmas and other holidays (crazy, right?).
They also told me that they don't have “specific tasks and roles” for each position in the company and everyone does everything around the office and I should be prepared to do tasks that I’m not responsible for.
The fact that they had the audacity to joke around their toxic culture with a total stranger in a first interview and thought that this behavior was normal speaks volumes about what kind of company they are.
