This Morning and ITV | Navigating a toxic workplace when you're in HR will never be easy

Often, the first time anyone in HR hears about a part of their company culture being described as 'toxic' is when there's a complaint.

ITV's long-running magazine show This Morning has been called out as having a toxic culture, following on from the Philip Schofield scandal. And it's not just This Morning - ITV has been subject to a grilling from MPs, with ITV chief executive Dame Caroline Dinenage being questioned after Schofield's leaving, and the House of Commons Committee reporting allegations of harassment, bullying and discrimination.

The word toxic is one that needs unpacking, first of all - it can mean so many things to so many people, but there are 'non-negotiable' elements to it, such as bullying.

Teresa Boughey is a TEDx speaker, a Non-Executive Director, and author of Closing the Gap explains: "Toxic culture can have significant detrimental effects on people and customer experiences and can cause reputational damage. Toxic behaviour can lead to significant damage to individuals, teams and organisations, and potentially lead to high staff turnover. Toxic cultures can lead to high levels of sickness absence, higher bullying and harassment claims, which may lead to increased litigation. It can negatively impact customer service/experience which in turn can have negative impacts on reputation. Toxic behaviour usually occurs when people are frustrated, angry and resistant to change and are trying to exert their power over others to get a desired outcome for their own gains."