Nearly four years after the workplace disruption pandemic, things are still not quite what one would call normal. It started in March 2020 when the world suddenly shut down, leading to layoffs and isolation as people were handed pink slips or told to work from home. Memes they were popping up everywhere, showing remote employees in their home offices, wearing business attire on top while being scantily clad under the desk.

After the unexpected luxury of being able to work in our sweatpants while also saving life minutes and gas money disappeared, the lack of structure and face-to-face interaction sent many down the rabbit hole. loneliness and depression. Then, once it was deemed “safe” to go back to work in person, many of us had forgotten how to socialize like the intelligent beings with opposable thumbs that we are, and retreated.

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Social anxiety it took on a new and broader meaning as the very thought of seeing and interacting with peers seemed the equivalent of climbing Everest.

Some of it was exacerbated by learned laziness, and some of it was newly acquired apathy. The pandemic has caused us to reevaluate our lives and where we put our energy. Our tolerance for stressunnecessary obligations and workplace mess reduced. Employees started asking, “Do I feel valued and happy here?”

This new appreciation of our living minutes brought a heightened awareness of what we wanted now and not willing to do, leading to the tendency to “quietly give up”. A short time later, the quiet quitters gained momentum as they gained in numbers, and articles about what was now being called “The Great Resignation” began to appear on the Internet.

This nationwide lack of grassroots power has led to a proliferation of signs saying “Closed until further notice” or “Sorry, no staff.” A lot of restaurants have made the transition from limited in-person dining to onboard service, to from business.

According to ClarityHR, only 27 percent of employees are actively engaged in their jobs, meaning that nearly three-quarters of those remaining either report being ambivalent or completely disengaged. There are a lot of unhappy people on autopilot going through their valuable lives (ClarityHR, 2023).

Simply put, as we head into our fifth year on the job…MINDthings escalated to what can now be considered a workplace zombie apocalypse.

What is a zombie at work?

Workplace zombie (noun): a person who is or appears lifeless, apathetic, or completely unresponsive at work (ClarityHR, 2023).

An apocalypse is defined as “an event involving destruction or damage on an extraordinary or catastrophic scale” (Oxford Dictionary, n.d.).

Combine the two and we have a big problem. As the old cliché goes, “It only takes a few bad apples to spoil the whole bunch.” Leaders need to become aware of the zombies in their teams to take the first step toward rebuilding a positive and enriching work environment.

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Four signs of zombies at work

1. Zombies are absent much. They will look for any excuse not be at work and show very little interest in showing up.
2. The decrease in the quality of work and in general productivity. Zombies will do the absolute minimum of skating and will frequently make sloppy mistakes.
3. Disconnecting from colleagues. When there is an office party or other social event, such as a staff volunteer day, zombies will either be absent altogether or make a cameo appearance. They will be the last to show up, contribute little or nothing to the event, and be among the first to leave.
4. Zombie energy is toxic and contagious. Although often very subtle, zombies can sniff out other potential zombies and will trash talk the leaders and the organization itself to attract new recruits to join the zombie effort.

How to prevent employees from becoming zombies?

1. Burnout prevention. As they say, “Prevention is the best medicine.”
2. Realize that the symptoms of burnout and depression are not so different. Make sure your team is aware and encouraged to take advantage of your organization’s mental health benefits. Nipping it in the bud can make all the difference.
3. Rest instead of giving up. Incorporate this idea into regular meetings and schedule weekly/bimonthly check-ins with your team.
4. Conduct regular risk assessments. They can help identify employee exposure to workplace hazards such as excessive workload, insufficient managerial support, aggressionand discrimination (Lyra, 2024).
5. Offer wellness opportunities. There are so many available at the moment such as guided yoga Careful activities, massage chairs and lunchtime walks.
6. It provides days of “mental wealth”. This can be once a month for the team or they can be offered individually as floating wellness days to be taken when needed.
7. Monthly team lunches. If possible, offer to bring lunch for your team once a month to show appreciation as well as bring the team together to talk about things other than work. “Breaking bread together” can make a huge difference.

What to do when an ambivalent employee turns into a disabled zombie

“The most responsible thing you can do as a manager and leader is to remove the zombies from your organization” (ClarityHR).

Most of us have heard the saying that “misery loves company.” This is a myth. The truth is that “misery loves miserable company.” Negativity is contagious. And luckily, so is positivity.

Dr. Martin Seligmanthe father of positive psychology, states that “the good life consists in drifting happiness using your strengths every day in the major areas of life.” Good leaders are aware of their team members’ strengths and integrate them into required tasks and projects. This creates a sense of alignment between the employee and their purpose, which in turn leads to happiness and fulfillment.

“Well-being is a combination of feeling good and having meaning, good relationships and fulfillment” (Seligman, 2012).

In fact, life without meaning can be a straight path to sadness and even depression. As Viktor Frankl (1997), author of Man’s search for meaning, reminds us: “Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, only by lack of meaning and purpose.”

Many organizations are realizing that post-pandemic disengagement in the workplace isn’t working and are now bringing in consultants and workshop facilitators to help leaders bring that spark of MOTIVATION back to their teams. They realize that the whole person comes to work every day, and not just their employee, bringing with them everything that is going on in their lives.

Fortunately, the brain is resistant and can be rewired for happiness and positivity. When organizations embrace their teams with this holistic approach leadit’s a win-win for everyone.

We know that happy people are more focused, more creative and more productive. Why? Because they love their life.