"C'est Pool is a Cesspool"

Every have to swim in a pool of....cess for work?

The meaning of cesspool (not counting the liquid waste version) - "a disgusting or corrupt place/a place of filth or immorality."

Sounds pretty disgusting to me.

How do you clean up this work environment mess? Can you do it as an individual? No.

Quite similar to our environment we can always do our part but ultimately there has to be some structures in place that benefit the good of the overall societal structure (company).

First, companies need to invest in education. The culture starts at the top and if managers, directors and whatever else we label 'bosses' aren't properly educated then they might not even understand that their behaviour is detrimental to the employees and ultimately the productivity of the company. Education has to come from an outside source so that the 'powers that be' aren't sitting in an echo chamber.

Second, build a stronger method of true feedback from employees. This has to be a solid element of your company for a few reasons. To understand what your employees really believe about their environment as well as knowing they provide value because the company is listening to them. That point is important because the employee then feels valued.

Third, the feedback received must be enforced otherwise it is a hollow project. If the feedback is negative and nothing is done then the cycle continues but if there is true change the confidence level of everyone increases because they played a role in moving the company forward.

These are just a few pieces to maintain a high level of productivity but also to keep your company accountable on a high level of integrity. Why wouldn't you want that?