3 signs your job flexibility is a lie

Photo: Chutima Chaochaiya (Shutterstock)

After many people tasted the freedom that comes with remote work and other flexible arrangements at the start of the pandemic, it went from being a valuable perk to a priority for some job seekers.

Employers know this, and according to Molly Johnson-Jones, CEO and co-founder of Flexa Careers, some are now trying to lure new employees into the company with what she called "fake flexibility," meaning false promises and misleading information about their flexibility policies.

In a recent interview with CNBC Make It, Johnson-Jones pointed out three signs that a company's flexible working policy is a lie.

Signs that a job offers you false flexibility

While spotting the words "flexible working" in a job description might sound promising, Johnson-Jones says it's actually problematic because the term itself is too vague. "It's easy not to commit to the exact type of arrangement you're offering," she recently told CNBC Make It.

To help you determine whether the flexibility a job promises is fact or fiction, Johnson-Jones suggests keeping an eye out for these three signs of false flexibility:

The policy does not include details

Companies that offer flexible working hours typically provide policy details in a job description, such as a breakdown of specific hours or days an employee is expected to work at the company office, versus home.

"If a company you're considering boasts of a 'flexible work environment' or says 'open to flexible working', with no other color or explanation to support what that looks like in practice, chances are they don't really offer it," says Johnson-Jones.

The interviewer does not talk about it

Employers know that flexibility is important to employees, so it's not a good sign if they don't talk about it during the interview, or if they can't give you a clear answer...