With the sense of play and alarm that the title suggests, Dolinsky tackles the idea that bureaucracy is a deeply dehumanizing affair, too often encouraging workers to forget about those around them and embrace an anxious mindlessness. Like zombies in movies, he writes, “They don’t see people but instead see objects to bite.” Dolinsky’s zombies gum up systems by losing touch with human interactions, causing “friction, injustice, and dissatisfaction” fueled by “a misplaced sense of urgency regarding what is essential.” Worse, they spread the “virus” to others. Through anecdotes from his wide-ranging professional life in the military, government, and private sectors, Dolinsky illustrates how this zombification plays out in the real world and what can be done to shake workers and bureaucracies out of their stupors.

A useful read for those interested in finding more satisfaction and happiness in their work, Workplace Zombies is filled with fresh stories from a wide array of workplaces, illustrating the costs and challenges of zombiedom, plus a host of inspiring quotes and original advice (like “three super-quick and easy things you can do to remove uncertainty from the workplace that require no budget”) crafted to inspire happier, more productive workplaces free of the working dead. Dolinsky walks the reader through an eight-step path for defeating the “workplace zombie virus of bureaucratic friction,” with tips from his time as an Army bomb tech, a stockbroker, and a federal emergency management expert peppered throughout.

The abundance of quotes and references to writers, philosophers, and pop culture can distract from the central argument, and the anecdotal approach makes it read less like a guide for inoculating workplaces and more like notes from the front lines. While the zombie metaphor is itself dehumanizing, Dolinsky writes with compassion, giving grace to those who might, in simpler tellings, appear as villains by acknowledging them as victims of this workplace virus. His stories are framed as learning moments rather than indictments, and readers will find wisdom to pull from them.

Takeaway: Thoughtful look at how to end zombie behavior in the workplace.

Comparable Titles: Marina Nitze and Nick Sinai’s Hack Your Bureaucracy, Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini’s Humanocracy.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-