Their lack of empathy was startling. The casual manner in which they discussed the livelihoods of their workforce made it clear that to them, these employees were mere numbers on a balance sheet.

The following week, my observations took an unexpected turn. I noticed small acts of rebellion sprinkled throughout the day: a programmer leaving snippets of code hidden in plain sight, a marketing associate printing confidential documents and slipping them into her bag. It seemed that many employees were aware of the toxic environment, and in their own ways, they were resisting.