A recruiter reached out to me on LinkedIn for a QA role. The position sounded interesting, although full on-site, it was conveniently close to where I live, so I gave it a try. During the first conversation with the People Team, I was honest about something that matters deeply to me: flexibility.
As a mother, I believe I should be able to occasionally leave a little earlier to pick up my children or support their needs — especially when it comes to things like therapy appointments every Friday.
The response?
“That would be a deal breaker.”
I was told the company works strictly from 9AM to 6PM, and if someone leaves earlier, every single minute must be compensated later. Even leaving 15 minutes earlier was described as a major exception.
They continued highlighting the benefits package, but at that point, I realized something important:
For me, the real deal breaker is a lack of flexibility, trust, and empathy for people and specially after I mentioned I have a neurodivergent son, that requires support and of course he will not drive to the therapy!
I fully respect structure, accountability, and working hours. But in 2026, especially in technology, supporting employees with real-life responsibilities should not feel like asking for special treatment.
Flexibility is not about working less.
It’s about working like a human being.
Are we replacing AI for human feelings??
Anyway… red flag identified early !
