I’ve talked to a few people about using these questions, and they usually mention modifying them to match personal style. Also, several people have suggested that it’s better to ask peers rather than managers. I can certainly see talking to future peers when considering an internal job change, and it may well be possible to ask for a chance to talk to future peers in an external hire.

I love your point about the same questions being good for making organizations more effective. It always helps to take a baseline before making a change, and these questions could serve in that regard.

Kathryn

Great article! It struck me that these questions really go to the heart of the ‘psychological contract’ between employer and employee. I wonder how those organisations which get awards for being the “best places to work” would answer them. I agree with Job Seekin’ Jack, you’d really have to get the answers from other employees and not from the managers.

Bridget

I think the questions should be asked of employees, not necessarily management. Managers might have pressures to make their workspace look good and have a vested interest in deceiving a newcomer.

What is usually the best template for resolving conflict in a professional workplace? Is that question answerable and will the answers make sense across a broad sample of workspaces.

Thank you for weighing in. One of the biggest problems I could see with this approach is convincing people that they have the right to ask. I like the point of view that it is a way of differentiating oneself in the interview process.

Marie-Josee,
Thanks for your approval. I seem to be talking to lots of people looking for jobs these days, which is probably why the experience of hearing Alan talk floated to the top of my mind when it was time to write. For others who haven’t met Alan Foster, he is a graduate of the 3rd MAPP program and has a fertile ground for creativity using applied positive psychology inside Bain & Company.

Kathryn

Thanks to you and Alan for this significant contribution, I will send anyone I know in search of a job to your article.

MarieJ

Thanks! I also believe they are good questions for both sides of the table.

Wayne,

The topic of how to armor oneself against bullying bosses and negative environments is an important topic, but a topic for another day. My goal here was to contribute to a sense of the possible. Sometimes people acquire learned helplessness from negative experiences, but good workplaces and intelligent management do exist. Alan based his questions on observing what things look like when they go well.

Kathryn

I remember reading some research about bullying bosses and turnover intent. The good news from the research was that higher levels of personal well being effectively innoculated people against bullying bosses – they were less likely to turover