Even in “values-based” workplaces, good people can unintentionally enable bad behaviour. Leaders often wonder how teams that talk about respect and inclusion still tolerate incivility, cliques or subtle exclusion. The answer lies in behavioural drift in teams - the slow shift in what’s...

Culture debt builds up when you overlook small issues in how people behave at work. Like financial debt, the longer you leave it, the more interest it accrues. A missed opportunity to address an eye-roll in a meeting, an off-hand comment, or a subtle exclusion can turn into something much bigger:...

Leaders and HR professionals spend a lot of time addressing overt workplace bullying. What often slips under the radar is the quieter, subtler version that occurs via workplace cliques. These small, tight groups can seem harmless, even positive, but they carry a hidden cost. In hybrid workplaces,...

Fear of lost revenue or performance if they go. “Too hard to replace” skills or client relationships. Leaders avoiding conflict. Mistaking bullying for “drive” or “high standards.” Managing up well while managing down badly.  Results trump respect. Rules are...

You can’t fix a culture you’re actively harming. But many leaders try. They commission values exercises. They launch listening surveys. They fund training programmes on respect, civility or psychological safety. But at the same time, their own behaviour quietly undermines all of...

An NHS Trust was recently ordered to pay £29,000 in compensation after an employee was repeatedly mocked and called “Darth Vader” by colleagues. The tribunal ruled it wasn't harmless fun. It was exclusion. It was bullying. And it reflected a wider issue within the team’s culture.If you work...