Scores of business writers and social scientists have documented the prevalence in America of highly stressful, negative workplaces. Their studies document the serious impact of toxic work environments on organizational performance, individual productivity, and employee wellbeing. Recently, other observers have commented on the continuation of these negative practices in the new, online, COVID-19 workplace.

Professor Rick Schell will provide an overview of approaches that business leaders can take to deal with these work environments and then propose a framework for how individuals can use language to engage constructively with coworkers, reset relationships, and counter the worst effects of such work place practices.