Tackling the issue of toxic workplaces is the tough task taken on in the latest book by business psychologist Clive Lewis.

Toxic: A Guide to Rebuilding Respect and Tolerance in a Hostile Workplace draws on Mr Lewis' decades of experience in HR and mediation to distill the problems and underlying causes of turbulent office environments.

Specialising in individual, team and organisation behaviour, Mr Lewis is one of the UK's most sought-after mediators and is the founder and chief executive of Globis Mediation Group.

He draws upon case studies across an array of workplaces from corporate offices to hospitals, demonstrating how toxicity can be prevented and resolved.

A practical guide for business leaders and HR professionals looking to preserve a peaceful workplace, the book provides tips on dealing with a toxic workplace as a line manager, employee, trustee or an unpaid intern entering the workplace for the first time.

Publicity for the book, which is printed by Bloomsbury from February 18, said: "The workplace has become a hotbed of social toxicity.

"Such behaviour is not only simply wrong and damaging to its victims - it also results in reduced productivity, higher employee turnover, and can often leave a stain upon the wider reputation of an organisation."

The author of 17 books, Mr Lewis has worked with executive teams and governments for more than 20 years and was awarded an OBE in 2011 for public service and his contribution to workplace mediation.

He chaired the panel which produced the Government-backed Reach report following the death of Stephen Lawrence and was appointed deputy lieutenant of Gloucestershire in 2012.

He serves as a non-executive director in the NHS, is deputy chair at the University of the West of England and in his spare time is a professional bass guitar player.

Competition: Win a copy of Clive Lewis OBE's book 'Toxic'