Frequent or intense conflict is obviously a flashing red light, but another, which may surprise many leaders, is a thriving gossip network. People instinctively respond to violations of their dignity by wanting to balance the scales. If they don’t feel safe to speak up and ask their bosses for recourse when they feel wronged, they’ll look for a way to get revenge. The easiest way to do that is often by badmouthing the person or group that is treating them poorly. These signs indicate that the company has a problem with some or all of the elements of dignity. It might treat some people differently simply because of who they are. It might be bad at giving credit where credit is due or keeping all relevant people in the loop. Everyone might be wondering who’s next to get called on the carpet or feeling like they have no control over their work. Managers could be playing favorites or refusing to give people the benefit of the doubt. Where a company has any of those dignity problems, it usually also lacks accountability. No one ever risks confrontation or apologizes. It’s human and automatic to stop trusting people when we feel they’ve betrayed us, especially people we previously felt connected to and empathetic toward. What rebuilds trust in the workplace faster than anything else is a leader who admits to mistakes, takes responsibility, and commits to doing better.