As Halloween approaches, the world seems to be overrun by spooky creatures and monsters lurking in the shadows. While these creatures may be the stuff of nightmares in our personal lives, they also bear a striking resemblance to some of the challenges we face in the workplace.

Here are our top 5 Monstrous Workplace Villains.

Which of these horrors is lurking in your business?

1. The Zombie.

Lumbering around the workplace, your classic office zombie is simply just going through the motions.

The lights are on but you often wonder if anyone is really home.

You can spot a workplace zombie at a hundred paces… there they are, plodding along without any sense of drive, purpose or real engagement in their work.

They may seem harmless enough, but like any good zombie movie, infection is real. Don’t let their lethargy and lack of enthusiasm spread to other people or before you know it, you’ll be completely surrounded and down to your last bullet…

2. The Vampire.

Vampires in the workplace are responsible for draining the lifeblood of your business.

We’ve all worked with a vampire – sure they can be charming, but these people can leave you feeling drained and exhausted and you may not always realise why.

Workplace vampires are overly negative. If anyone is going to put a downer on your day, its your vampire.

They will be critical, sometimes belittling – to others but also to you, the boss.

They aren’t responsible or take any accountability for their actions because things are usually done “to” them.

It’s not their fault you see. It’s everyone else. It’s the job. It’s the others. Its you. Watch out for vampires because they will feed off anyone who is willing to listen to them.

3. The Werewolf.

The workplace Werewolf is one of the hardest of our horror villains to spot and that is no surprise. We only spot a werewolf when they change - the rest of the time, everything is groovy.

And therein lies the danger.

Your typical werewolf is mostly engaged, happy and productive. But leave the werewolf neglected at your peril.

If everything is working well, you need to make sure you continue to keep your werewolf occupied and running with their pack.

Underappreciation, not feeling valued, not having their opinions heard… all of these things can lead to what can seem to be an overnight transformation and your best member of the team may find themselves howling at the moon.

4. The Witch.

The witch, like many before them in history, is often misunderstood.

Our workplace witch – any gender is available for this role –creates discord and resistance in your team and that usually boils down to the fact that when it comes to being aligned to your company mission and values, they aren’t even close to being anywhere near the book, yet alone on the same page.

Not a problem for them, they can hocus pocus themselves out of most situations and can often be highly performing individuals... but the impact on those around them and on your business can cause more devastation than a plague of locusts.

5. Frankenstein's Monster.

Frankenstein’s monster had all the bits and pieces, they were assembled where those bits needed to go, but ultimately caused havoc, pain and fear.

Your monster may be hiding right under your nose in the form of a team who is made up of a group of individuals who don’t work well together leading to conflict and inefficiency.

Do you have the right people, in the right seats, doing the right things?

If you’ve simply collected body parts into your business, popped them into a workplace structure and hoped that they all merge and function correctly, you may find that that one day the bolts will fall off.

Where’s the silver bullet?

There are no silver bullets in the movie that is your business, but as in any good story, there IS a plan. A way for the hero to win the day, end the horror and ride off into the sunset.

We call it a people strategy and we can help you.

A people strategy will help you prioritise engagement to double tap those zombies and transform them into motivated team members.
A people strategy will create positive, collaborative workplaces driving a stake through the heart of any vampire.
A people strategy will encourage self-awareness, accountability and performance making sure that full moons are a thing of beauty, not a time of dread.
A people strategy will encourage teamwork and alignment to your values, allowing you to integrate your witches, not persecute them.
A people strategy will nurture a sense of belonging and shared common purpose, transforming a fractured team into a slick and cohesive unit.

We may only celebrate Halloween once a year, but those spooky monsters are lurking in your business every day… ignore them at your peril… we dare you!

The Terrifying Reality of NOT Focusing on your People Strategy.