On the surface, working from home seems the best dream come true for introverts: now you don't have to feign any interest in your cubicle neighbors' chitchats about sports, vacations, (their own) kids and pets, now you don't have to force yourself to say hi to your boss on your way to coffee in the morning, now you don't have to verbally talk to anyone if emails can do, and thank heavens for the option of turning off your camera during video calls, now no one can see you unless you allow them to.
You may really enjoy this newfound quietness. But you may be hurting your work performance and career development without even knowing it.
Sure, you can argue you are able to concentrate better, now that the "distractions" are gone, and your productivity is higher. But you might be missing a few other important pieces of the puzzle, namely communication, presence, and information.
First of all, different situations call for different communication methods. Emails are not for every situation. They may be too slow if you have an urgent issue. Instant messages are real-time, but you may still find typing is not as fast as talking. And people's overuse of emojis can sometimes muddy the water quite a bit. For example, a smiley face may really mean "I was just joking. Don't use that approach." When trying to solve a critical business problem, you can't afford misreading the person on the other end of IM. In these cases, an old-fashioned phone call is "called for", where participants can discuss a problem, exchange thoughts and opinions freely, and agree on a solution. Sometimes you need a video call, if this is a performance talk, or a 1-on-1 with your boss. And it's crucial to turn on the camera, so you can pick up each other's non-verbal reactions like body language and facial expressions.
Secondly, remember "showing up is half the battle", even in a virtual workplace. You may think those virtual coffee breaks are a waste of time, and you have real work to do. You may think as long as you are talking, it's ok to leave the camera off. But unfortunately there are still some leaders who equate "seeing you" as "knowing you are working". We don't live in an ideal world. If you can't fight such cognitive biases, you should at least ensure they don't cause you any disadvantage. Therefore, don't skip virtual coffee breaks, or for that matter, any opportunity for others to see you, and definitely don't turn off your camera.
Lastly, you may have been cut out of the information loop, if you are just doing your assignments and don't talk to anyone unless you have to. Like it or not, some corporate information is communicated via informal channels, sometimes disdained by introverts as "gossips." You shouldn't be that quick to dismiss all informal chats, particularly if the source of the information is someone who is close to the leadership, someone who is close to an important project, or someone who is still working in the office and interacting with a lot of colleagues when you are not. These people may know something you don't, such as the leadership's upcoming change of strategic priorities, a key roadblock that will force the project team to change their timelines, etc. These are not rumors, not gossips, but essential information that will make you work more effectively and efficiently.
I hope you now agree introverts should not take #WFH for granted. Many introverts are successful professionals and business leaders. With some conscious efforts, you can be one too.
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