Detox Your Culture - Deliver results, retain staff, and strengthen your organization's reputation

*Shortlisted for The Business Book Awards 2025*

The essential guide for organizations to understand how toxic cultures form, identify the warning signs, and take effective action to address and prevent them.

In recent years, the media has been rife with stories of toxic workplaces - from reports into public institutions such as the police and healthcare trusts, to allegations from former employees at the likes of Twitter and the Ellen DeGeneres Show. It can present itself in many forms: harassment, discrimination, lack of boundaries, a culture of fear and lack of support for employees. But toxic workplaces can also lead to missed targets, poor strategic decisions, and a loss of trust from the public and shareholders; in short, they are bad for business, leaders and anyone working in them.

In this book, workplace culture expert Colin D. Ellis lays out a series of simple but effective methods for leaders looking to understand how toxic cultures form, illustrated through a global range of case studies (including CBI, the London Fire Brigade, Uber, SpaceX, Sony Music, and Amnesty International). He walks readers through practical actions that they can take to create the cultural conditions for success - a work environment of belonging, inclusivity, flexibility and value creation.

Designed to be universally applicable, and tackling a diverse range of topics - from employee connection, to establishing and integrating positive values - Detox Your Culture is essential reading for any leader or manager looking to ensure that their organization’s reputation and results are never compromised by culture.