The No. 1 red flag a company is offering ‘fake flexibility,' says CEO: ‘It's easy to be noncommittal'

Some companies are "catfishing" job candidates with false promises of remote work and flexible hours to lure talent in a stubbornly tight labor market. 

Flexibility remains a top priority among job seekers, second only to salary, according to a recent report by the UK-based recruitment firm Michael Page, which surveyed close to 70,000 workers worldwide. Last year, it was fourth on candidates' wish lists.

Appealing to this growing preference, more companies are overstating and putting a spin on their flexible work policies, says Molly Johnson-Jones, the CEO and co-founder of Flexa Careers, a global directory of flexible-work companies.

Johnson-Jones has noticed more companies offering what she calls "fake flexibility" in recent months. Most policies, Johnson-Jones explains, fall short of offering employees true flexibility: adaptable work schedules, remote or hybrid options without caveats.

"The term 'flexible work' is actually quite problematic because it's very vague, so it's easy to be noncommittal about what kind of arrangement, exactly, you're offering," she tells CNBC Make It.

Here, Johnson-Jones shares tips for spotting fake flexibility when you're on the job hunt, and the 3 biggest red flags to watch out for: 

Vague language in the job description

Details are key when it comes to flexibility, says Johnson-Jones. 

"It's the No. 1 red flag to watch out for," she says. "if a company you're looking at boasts of a 'flexible working environment' or says 'open to flexible working,' with no other color or explanation to support what that looks like in practice, it's likely that they don't truly offer it."

Flexible companies will be clear about their benefits, either directly in the job description or on their careers website, Johnson-Jones adds. 

For example, they might say they are remote first but have an office that is available for anyone who prefers to work in person. Or, they might have consistent hours where the whole team is expected to be working — say 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. — but otherwise, employees have control over their own schedules.

Workers have to request flexibility

Be wary of companies that say flexibility is available, but has to be requested. 

"If a workplace is really about the well-being of their employees and believes in the benefits of flexible working, they won't make you jump through hoops before you're 'allowed' to access this benefit," says Johnson-Jones.

"By request" set-ups are often designed to discourage people from accessing flexibility, she adds, as it sets this benefit up to be "a privilege only few can access" — and gives bosses more power to deny such requests. 

Flexibility isn't brought up during the interview

A job interview is one of the best settings to suss out a company's stance on remote work or similar offerings.

If an interviewer looks uncomfortable talking about flexibility, or doesn't mention it altogether, says Johnson-Jones, chances are high that the company doesn't support it.

There are two questions you can ask the interviewer to better understand the company's flexible work policies: 

• "I'd love to understand a bit more about the culture of your working environment. How would you describe it?"
• "How has the pandemic shifted the way that your company thinks about work?"

If the hiring manager mentions trust, autonomy, asynchronous working or the benefits of online collaboration, says Johnson-Jones, "those are all green flags that this is a supportive, flexible workplace."

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