Does one of your colleagues irk you rather than give you the ick?
Welcome to the work of workplace beige flags, aka actions or behaviours that aren’t necessarily deal makers nor deal breakers, but which can be increasingly irritating over time.
The beige flag trend originated on TikTok (where else?) and originally related to harmless relationship beige flags.
In a professional context, beige flags shouldn’t be overlooked or ignored as they can be the difference between getting a job offer or promotion further down the line or can indicate toxic workplace culture.
This is especially true at the recruitment stage, as Owen Murray, a former tech recruiter who now provides bespoke interview preparation strategies advises.
“On a candidate’s CV, unexplained gaps in a person’s employment history can raise questions about consistency and ability to stay committed to a business or job. If the candidate has a good reason why they left a job, i.e. they were made redundant due to company-wide layoffs, this should be clearly outlined.
“Similarly, poor grammar, spelling errors and use of company jargon on your cover letter and CV can suggest poor communication skills and a lack of attention to detail.”
And while you might think looking the part is only one piece of the interview puzzle, Murray suggests it’s a lot more important than most interviewees realise.
“Showing up in crumpled clothes or not looking professional and having a weak handshake gets you off to the worst possible start,” he adds.
“Practise your handshake and make eye contact when shaking someone’s hand. If you feel uncomfortable with eye contact, look at the bridge of their nose.”
From zany job titles—steer clear of any company that refers to its staff as knights or ninjas—to ill-defined benefits that don’t amount to anything tangible or useful such as health insurance or paid parental leave.
A vague attitude towards remote or hybrid work is also something to look out for. Before accepting a job offer, get your new employer to stipulate your working model in writing so you have something concrete to refer to if a full time return-to-office order is enforced the week after you start a new position.
Often, a beige flag within the workplace can be the final straw, and if you feel like you can’t deal with the beige flags within your own, it could be time for a clean, decidedly un-beige, slate.
If this is the case, The London Economic Job Board is the perfect place to start your search. It features thousands of jobs in companies that are actively hiring like the three below.
As a Group Product Manager you will be responsible for helping manage a talented team and drive the strategy for the company’s secure storage and tokenization products. In this role, you’ll have the unique opportunity to drive innovation, add value to merchants, and directly influence Checkout.com’s scalability and growth. You’ll also take the reins in managing a team of four product managers, with an extended scope encompassing multiple engineering teams consisting of around 20 to 25 people. Get more information here.
Monzo’s growing finance team is hiring a Finance Business Partner to manage the P&L and balance sheet and help the business make strategic financial decisions. In this role, you will partner with areas across the business who support Monzo’s growth aspirations and build business cases, present and debate investment choices. You’ll also take full ownership of the annual budget and forecasts and prepare management information and insights. See the full job description here.
As a Business Development Manager you will be responsible for identifying new business opportunities, establishing relationships with key stakeholders, and strategically positioning Improbable’s digital twin offerings to meet the needs of the supply chain industry. Your goal will be to expand the customer base, increase revenue, and drive the adoption of digital twin technology within the supply chain market. As such, you will be required to conduct market research to identify new business opportunities, industry trends, customer needs and competitive positioning. View additional details here.
Explore The London Economic Job Board to find your next role
