What are the indicators that a company’s culture or workplace could quickly turn toxic?

The roots of a company culture include rules, expectations, and policies. If these are subjective — left open to interpretation — the company invites differing opinions, which causes conflict, which results in toxicity. Subjective work processes and systems are the sources of most toxic company cultures.

How you can spot a potential problem

If you are on the outside of a company looking in, there are some indicators that should encourage you to explore further. Using whatever access you have to people in the company and/or company materials such as job descriptions, policies, and procedures, look for subjectivity.

For example, if a job description…