The shelter-in-place mandate has forced many people to work from their homes. There have had to be adjustments to how people work…even for those, like me, who have worked from home for years.

For many years, I worked out of my kitchen – listening to my clients’ challenges, problem-solving with them and team members, providing guidance and coaching – all in the quiet of my home.  As the only remote worker in my home before COVID-19, I could easily access my internal resources and harness my energy. The only road bumps as a remote worker occurred when my family came home early from school or work, and/or stayed home due to snow.

I’m an introvert by Carl Jung’s definition. Jung suggested that several principal differences between personalities are associated with the direction of a person’s expression of energy.  Introverts are interested in the inward direction of their thoughts, ideas, and feelings. Extroverts, on the other hand, direct their interest outward, externally to the surrounding environment.

While the shelter-in-place mandate did not change much about my space or commute, as an introvert, the challenge became the fact that I’m now working from home and sharing space with four other adults, all of whom are extroverts.

My once quiet days are now filled with noise: unmuted, all-day college Zoom classes… long vocalized business calls of others… singing from the shower… piano concerts… excited conversations at all hours of the day and night… requests for my participation in regular family game night… and, the most recent, a distressed call for “help to find the shaving cream.” Make no mistake, my family’s jubilance is contagious. But the differences in their expressive personalities and related behaviors have inadvertently changed my workplace, disrupting my energy and creative ability.

As an introvert, I not only enjoy time alone to reflect, but this time also energizes me and optimizes my natural gifts of strategic thinking and problem solving.  As noted in the Positive Psychology article, “Introvert vs Extrovert: A Look at the Spectrum and Psychology”, noise distractions in the workplace (or home) are more of a problem for introverts than for extroverts. Noise caused pronounced concentration problems for introverts, while extroverts actively selected higher noise intensities. Therefore, it’s no wonder that given the changes in my household, and the regular interruptions of gregarious extroverts, I am in constant cogitative ‘stop and restart’ mode and have less ability to concentrate.

My “new workplace” is further interrupted by calls that are longer and/or more frequent, with attempts from others to connect and/or replace in-person face-to-face conversations. Many traditional conference calls are now also virtual face-to-face discussions via Microsoft Teams or Zoom. In addition, there are happy hour requests from distant friends, and increased regular calls to and from my aging parents.  My RBF has now been transformed as I exercise my cheeks regularly to smile and connect with family, colleagues, clients and friends.

As I reflect on my own personal situation, I can’t help but think of how this same scenario might be playing out for other introverts.  According to the Myers & Briggs Foundation’s estimated frequency table, introverts make up 50.7% of those who have taken the MBTI assessment from 1972-2002.  Surely, I can’t be the only one who locks themselves in the bathroom and runs the water to drown out the noise so I can have time by myself to think?

All of this prompts me to draft quick tips to managers and leaders.  Both extroverts and introverts benefit from quiet to reenergize their minds, quiet anxieties and increase productivity. What worked before might not work during this pandemic.  As you consider how you might “engage” employees when they’re away from the office, remember that your team is a group of individuals – individuals who are unique in their “oneness.”  I encourage you to keep this in mind when you attempt to “engage” each person.  Think about their “uniqueness” and meet them in their sandbox.

Tips to engage introverts:  

  • Consider sending electronic communications to check in rather than a Zoom call.
  • Schedule a “quiet hour” instead of a happy hour on a Friday night and acknowledge that they deserve “time for themselves” and encourage them to use it as they see fit.
  • Give them the option to call in to Zoom meetings – no video necessary.
  • Communicate that their participation is welcomed but not required for various online competitions – no pressure!
  • Ask them how they wish to be engaged given their home workplace demands.
  • If you are on a call with them and the agenda is completed, end the call. No need to use up all the time you scheduled for the call.
  • Give them time to think. If you want to brainstorm, send out your request with specifics in advance so that they have time to think about it and prepare their ideas.
  • Respect and enjoy silence — even during virtual discussions.
  • Build writing time into communications.
  • Invite feedback one-on-one rather than in a group.

We are all unique, and each person’s needs and motivators are changing faster now than ever.  The pandemic has impacted everyone in different ways.  Emotions and stress levels are high.  Engage your own emotional intelligence skills by taking the time to ‘get to know’ those who work for you. Learn more about each person, and ask regularly “how can I help them to be successful” in this challenging, changing time.

Good health and happiness to everyone!

To learn more about introverts and extroverts, please consider the books compiled by PositivePsychology.com. Below are a few of my favorites:

  • Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
  • Success as an Introvert for Dummies by Joan Pastor
  • The Genius of Opposites: How Introverts and Extroverts Achieve Extraordinary Results Together by Jennifer B. Kahnweiler