The midday dog walk, the relaxed dress code, the headphone-free jam session, the lack of rush hour traffic and a kitchen that doesn’t smell like someone else’s microwaved fish.
By now, most workers and their employers have discovered both the obvious and the secret benefits of remote and hybrid work arrangements. Although some corporate leaders once expressed concern over employees staying out of the office, most in the C-suite have realized the undeniable business advantages, which include increased productivity and lower turnover.
But how can companies give their employees options and autonomy without sacrificing strong corporate culture? And how can leaders accommodate the introverts on their teams who will be looking to contribute without putting themselves in the digital spotlight?
Built In recently talked to Devon Janes, a professional development manager with VelocityEHS, about the unique practices the company has in place to ensure its introverted employees have meaningful ways to connect with their coworkers.
VelocityEHS is a new kind of EHS software company, helping clients reach their environmental, health, safety and sustainability goals faster.
Set the stage: give us a sense of what the remote culture is like on your team or at your company.
Our organization is fully remote with few in-person locations for individuals to opt-in to. Our culture and tools are built to reflect that remote setting and set our teams up for success in an environment that is very different from primarily in-person engagement.
Like many companies, we utilize tools like Teams to create varieties of open channels of communication on multiple scales. We also provide a wide range of opt-in opportunities for employees to connect across the organization. Some of these are purely social in nature like end-of-year celebrations and game nights. Other events, like discussions on a new trend in the field, are more business-focused.
We have a team responsible for creating engagement events on a regular basis. These include monthly fitness challenges, speakers for heritage or mental health awareness months and DEI discussions. That variety allows employees, both introverted and extroverted, to select what engagement types suit them best so they can feel connected to the organization.
We may have to be more active about shaping culture in a remote setting, but that can lead to more positive outcomes for introverts who crave purpose in their interactions.
We may have to be more active about shaping culture in a remote setting, but that can lead to more positive outcomes for introverts who crave purpose in their interactions.
What tools are there for introverted employees to meaningfully connect with colleagues?
Many engagement tools have emerged to promote healthy community engagement in a virtual environment, but success for introverts has less to do with specific tools and more about how we utilize them.
For example, most chat applications like Teams and Slack have the ability to create endless amounts of channels for just about anything. Introverts, however, may want to be more strategic on how they capitalize on their social energy expenditure. Ensuring the number of channels and groups doesn’t become unwieldy and that topics are clearly defined are important.
Introverts may also prefer to engage in more focused ways rather than generic small talk. Therefore, having opt-in virtual spaces that are topic specific (even if it isn’t a work-specific topic) can promote engagement. Examples are your basic fitness chats, pet groups, movie discussions, and similar channels.
Designing a company culture around healthy boundaries with these tools can also play into an introvert’s ability to meaningfully engage. What is the remote equivalent of “shutting the office door” or “putting on headphones to focus” in Teams? By having these boundaries set and respected, introverts have more control over their engagement.
In your opinion, what is the key to building a culture where everyone, including introverted employees, feel engaged and included?
The key to helping introverted employees feel included is recognizing there are different needs across the extrovert and introvert spectrum and intentionally making space within a culture for that variety. Make sure leadership teams and the employees responsible for managing company cultures are aware of those differences and where they themselves fall on that spectrum.
When possible, ensure you have introverts in planning and culture conversations if they aren't naturally in those roles already, and listen to their advocacy and input.
It’s about finding a balance between the need for social interaction and the need for solitude and recharging. Both have great benefits to organizational outcomes and should be built into our cultures. A day-long virtual team retreat can have space for active group brainstorming and individual reflection. Remote work can be of great benefit for introverted employees if its potential for protecting boundaries and focusing social interactions is utilized.
