The Land of the Living Dead: 5 Ways Employees Become Zombies at Work & What to Do About It

Italian police recently discovered a 70-year-old woman sitting at a table in her home, more than two years after she had died. This story is both shocking and sad. But how many of the people in your organization are sitting at their desks or behind their equipment ‘dead’ in a different way? They have no passion, they are not connected to the organizational mission, and they may not even be known by the others around them. In other words, they are zombies – alive yet dead inside. According to Gallup, such employees have 37% higher absenteeism and 18% lower productivity. And even more sobering, each disengaged employee costs you about $3,400 for every $10,000 they make in salary. The land of the living dead is indeed very expensive! Here are the five main contributors to creating zombies at work and what you can do to bring them back to life.

1. Hiring the wrong people.

Hiring is an art more than a science, and therefore it is hard to make good hiring decisions all of the time. Not every organization is responsible for its zombies. Some were hired that way! We don’t create them – they were already part of the living dead before we hired them, and we missed it. And then we are shocked that they lack drive, show little passion for the work they do, and have a close resemblance to Charlie Brown – that nice yet dull and depressive cartoon character who drags down the morale of the team. Napoleon Bonaparte said, “An army’s effectiveness depends on its size, training, experience, and morale, and morale is worth more than any of the other factors combined.”

Remedy: When hiring, look for references that use words like “passion,” “energy,” “joyful,” “engaging,” “positive,” “dedicated,” and “hard worker.” Flat references may imply flat energy (but not always).

2. Limited contact with the supervisor.

Sometimes managers underestimate just how little time they spend with the members of their team. This is in great contrast to the research which discovered that good managers spend over 75% of their time with others and only a small portion of their day working alone (John Kotter). Our consulting experience reinforces what researchers have noted – employees highly value time with their supervisor and take notice when their supervisor shows interest in their lives and work.

Remedy: Look at your typical workday and week – determine the ratio of time you spend alone versus with your team members and aim to keep your team time as high as possible.

3. Lack of relational connection.

We have all met people who struggle to connect with others. Sometimes, people may be more naturally introverted and need help connecting. Other times, they may not even desire such relational connection with others. They like “alone.” But relational connection matters in very measurable ways. Nick Foles, the Super Bowl winning quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, said it well: “I’ve always been a relational guy. Football is football. You can play anywhere. For me, it’s the people I’m playing for and with that make all the difference.”

Remedy: Regardless of whether your team is full of introverts or not, every leader would benefit from creating a culture of connection. I was recently talking with a business owner in our office building who said, “Our small team is like family.” And they are – I see the whole team taking a walk together during lunch every day!

4. Giving too much attention to the “problem child.”

I have seen this at work in a variety of organizational settings. The team member who is unhappy,  dissatisfied, and chronically complains gets dramatically more time from the manager than the hard-working, consistently content member of the team. The more they squeak, the more time is invested in them from managers to HR leaders. Meanwhile, your more reliable, servant-oriented members fend for themselves (sometimes, I wonder if they contemplate acting up so they could also get some attention!).

Remedy: Helping a struggling employee through a difficult season is both valid and important. However, if you have a team member with an insatiable need for your time and attention, you may want to re-think if it is worth the investment and identify who on your team is being neglected as a result of it.

5. Assuming that “they are ok.”

Leaders are busy: planning for the future, hiring staff, creating budgets, solving personnel issues, shopping for their next vacation (did I really just say that?), etc. The pressure and time constraints that often accompany the life of a manager can lead to conclusions that “my team is all good.” After all, if you haven’t heard them express any concerns, they must be ok, right? However, assumptions can be VERY WRONG. When one of your employees unexpectedly leaves for another position, it can feel like a sign of disloyalty, when in reality, it is a sign that your assumptions were far off the target.

Remedy: There is a difference between “checking in,” which is what a leader does to get an update on a project, and “checking up,” which is what we do when we want to see how someone is doing on a more personal level, not just professionally. How are they feeling about their position or compensation? How is their aging parent doing or how are things going with the child who is struggling? Wise leaders will not only be checking in, but they will also be checking up.

Contact us to learn how our experienced consultants can assist you in building a healthy culture with passionate and engaged employees.

Jay Desko is the CEO of The Center Consulting Group and brings experience in the areas of organizational assessment, leadership coaching, decision-making, and strategic questioning. Jay’s degrees include an M.Ed. in Instructional Systems Design from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from The Union Institute.