Starting a new job usually comes with a mix of excitement and nerves, and most people spend the first few weeks trying hard to make a good impression.
Sometimes, though, the warning signs show up early, and if you know what to look for, you can tell whether the stress you feel is normal settling-in pressure or a sign the job will slowly wear you down.
Here are some of the clearest signs that your new workplace may be more trouble than it is worth.
1. Weeks have passed, and you still have no contract
If your employer keeps promising that your appointment letter is “on the way”, pay attention. Under Ghana’s Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), employers are expected to give workers a written statement of their terms, covering duties, pay, working hours and how the job can end, within two months of starting. A company reluctant to put your terms in writing often wants room to change them later.
2. Your working hours keep stretching
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Staying late once in a while to meet a deadline is part of working life, but when closing at 5 pm has quietly become closing at 8 pm every day, something is wrong. The Labour Act sets standard working hours at eight a day and 40 a week, with overtime paid at a higher rate, and the long hours are not just a question of fairness. A 2021 study by the World Health Organisation and the International Labour Organisation found that working 55 or more hours a week was linked to 745,000 deaths from stroke and heart disease in 2016, with a 35% higher risk of stroke than working 35 to 40 hours.
3. Your manager is the problem
People often say workers do not leave jobs; they leave managers, and the research supports it. Gallup estimates that managers account for at least 70% of the difference in employee engagement across teams, which means a boss who shouts, takes credit for your work, or changes instructions without warning can shape how you feel about the entire job. If you dread every conversation with your supervisor in the first month, it is unlikely to get easier.
4. Salary always comes with an excuse
A late salary once can happen to any business, but when payday regularly comes with stories about “cash flow” and “management is working on it”, treat it as a warning. The Labour Act requires wages to be paid in cedis at regular intervals, and an employer who cannot pay you on time in your first few months is unlikely to start once you have settled in.
5. Your job description keeps growing
You were hired as a social media manager, but somehow you are now also the graphic designer, the receptionist and the person who sorts out the boss’s personal errands. Taking on extra tasks can help you grow, but when the role keeps expanding without any change in title or pay, the company is likely using one salary to cover the work of three people.
6. Everyone seems to be leaving
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If your colleagues keep telling you how many people have held your position in the past year, or you notice farewell messages in the office WhatsApp group every few weeks, take it seriously. High turnover often signals that something in the workplace is pushing people out, and the longest-tenured employees usually know exactly what it is.
7. Work never really ends
Your phone buzzes with messages from your manager at 10 pm, on Sundays, and even at a family funeral, and you are expected to reply immediately. When there is no clear line between work hours and personal time, the job follows you everywhere, and stress builds long before you notice.
8. Taking leave feels like a crime
Workers in Ghana are entitled to at least 15 working days of paid annual leave after a year of continuous service, but in some workplaces, asking for time off is treated as a lack of commitment. If colleagues are proud of never taking leave, or your manager sighs every time someone mentions a holiday, the culture is telling you rest isn't welcome.
If you are seeing several of these signs in your new job, it may be worth talking to HR, keeping records of your hours and pay, or quietly updating your CV before the stress takes its toll.
