Startups are trendy and many young people dream working there in all the excitement of creating something that will change the world. Still some startups are also incredibly toxic places to work, as reminds us this Gapingvoid post ‘Beware Supersexy‘.
The point is particularly important to make because startups are by essence, stressful places to be where a substantial commitment is expected from employees, and change is prevalent on a daily basis as the venture grows, pivots and struggles. Like in projects, the pace of action is quick and some employees can sometimes feel overwhelmed.
Some examples have recently come to light of cultures of mental and even sometimes sexual harassment, and more benignly of certain toxic work cultures in some startups even some that were very much under the public eye and heavily funded.
It is not rosy everyday in startups, and the strong will that is needed from founders do not always translate in a nice way to work. At the same time I do know a number of startups that have developed very nice ways to work together and where employees are incredibly happy to the part of the adventure.
It’s just a fact that startups, like other organisations, can sometimes be toxic places to work, and that because of the specific pace it can be quite extreme. Startup are exciting, and also demanding. As always it is important to get proper insight about how it is to work there before committing to contribute!
