How To Help Introverts Succeed When They Work From Home

Is there a member of your team who sits in meetings silently or rarely speaks up when colleagues or managers ask them to share their thoughts? 

 

Is this colleague not frequently seen at social events, either in person or online, and does a lot of remote work?

 

 

Those people might be introverts, people who need time alone to recharge.

 

Those extroverted team members, on the other hand, enjoy being in the center of attention and interacting with others.

 

While the Introverted teammates are the opposite. 

 

According to studies, introverts are more productive at home, happier, and more flexible with their schedules.

 

It's no surprise that introverts thrive when they can concentrate intensely on a task.

 

However, introverted employees reported disadvantages such as virtual-meeting fatigue and a greater sense of loneliness, and a lack of connection from coworkers. 

 

They prefer to form relationships in small groups and to be good listeners, rather than being the center of attention.

 

Introverts value interaction, cooperation, and connection.

 

There is no doubt that more businesses are operating remotely or embracing hybrid models, so here are some tips for managers on how to handle introverted remote employees. 

 

1. Maintain Small Meetings

 

 

If possible, keep team meetings small to enable introverts to showcase their thoughtfulness and deliberateness.

 

(The way you define "small" will depend on the size of your team and the objectives of the company.) 

 

Ask introverted team members if they're feeling more comfortable expressing themselves through written communication rather than verbal communication if they're not talking up on Zoom.

 

In case they say yes, invite them to take part in the virtual meeting via the chat function.

 

2. Start providing Opportunities for Community Solitude

 

 

The belief that introverts chose to spend their days alone at home is incorrect.

 

Spending a few days a week out in the community often makes them feel more creative and engaged. 

 

Introverts can work without having to interact with others in coffee shops, libraries, and pods.

 

These settings allow introverts to interact with others while also working independently.

 

3. Bring leaders' attention to their own introversion

 

 

Leadership that embraces their introversion allows talent to adopt the same approach. 

 

Making space for everyone in the workplace strengthens our workplace environment, and managers can model that behavior.

 

An approximate 40% of top executives are introverts, demonstrating that you do not have to be an extrovert to lead.

 

4. Do not put introverted employees in the hot seat

 

 

When introverts are asked questions in meetings, it can cause anxiety and unimpressive results because they prefer to think things through carefully before responding.

 

However, extroverts use speech to process their thoughts, so they can come up with appropriate responses quickly.

 

Send a pre-meeting agenda to all members of the team and provide plenty of advance notice for topics slated for discussion to ease performance pressure on introverts.

 

Having clear expectations will help introverts feel prepared and confident working from home. 

 

Also, managers might consider letting team members brainstorm silently or ask them to provide their thoughts in the Zoom "chat" section before asking them to contribute.

 

As a result, extroverted employees will benefit from this approach as well, because they will think more carefully about strategy rather than simply hoofing it, which is easy for extroverts to do.

 

As a result, everyone will have a more productive meeting.