7 Actionable Ways To Engage Introverted Employees At The Office

There’s no doubt dealing with them is different from how you deal with your “typical” employees. That’s why you may need to come up with a different way of managing and engaging them.

The following are important points to consider when engaging introverts in the workplace. Note: assuming you got your rest of your employees covered and you know how to engage them, you should focus and create a different plan and strategy on how to better get introverts involved in the workplace.

1. Identify them and be mindful of how you deal with them.

Before anything else, it’s important to properly identify who these introverted employees are. You cannot implement effective means to engage them if you don’t even know them. You may need competent authority or a human resource expert to properly determine if someone is an introvert or just having some issues. You definitely don’t want to waste time applying a carefully crafted solution on something that does exist.

Generally, introverts are those who rarely involve themselves in discourses, both in casual conversations among other employees and in work-related discussions. They appear unenthusiastic in doing things that involve other people. They withhold their opinions and information they know that could potentially help in discussing something. They are perceived to be inattentive and passive-aggressive, although they may just want to be unnoticed but are doing their best to contribute to whatever needs to be done. Of course, they are also notably averse to crowds. They tend to have lunch on their own and arrive and leave the office by their lonesome.

Being mindful of how introverts behave does not mean that you have to avoid them and just let them be. It’s important to make a few attempts to reach out to them and to make them comfortable in the company of others. Drop a few jokes. Try to invite them to gatherings or even force them if it does not appear to make them extremely uncomfortable or irritated. Some may just need that slight exhorting to make them get used to working with others. It shouldn’t be difficult to figure out if they don’t really want people around them, if they really want to repel personal connections.

2. Know how they work at their best and assign them where they can be at their best.

An introvert is not necessarily unengaged by being quiet and minimal with verbal conversations. Being personable is good but if you have employees who proficiently get their tasks done albeit without being the pleasant co-worker, it can’t be said that they need to be corrected and be made to behave just like how everybody else does. During meetings, introverts may not be able to instantly come up with an answer or idea when asked. They may need more time to process the information they get before they could come up with a thought worth sharing. Avoid pressuring them unless their slower-than-usual-pace is already taking a toll on the company’s productivity.

3. Understand their limitations.

A company shouldn’t have hired an introvert if they don’t see their use in being in the company. That’s why it’s only proper to recognize and understand their limitations. Be generous in giving in to their preferences unless they don’t properly serve their purpose in the company. If they find it difficult to be in company get-togethers, don’t force them. If they prefer to submit their idea contributions in writing or PowerPoint presentations, don’t force them to do an actual presentation. Allow telecommuting if it would make them more productive. Unless they are incompetent at their work and they really deserve to be fired, try to compromise as much as possible.

4. Communicate with them in the best mode they prefer.

Introverts are not fond of talking with people. They are also known to be indisposed to using the telephone. In most cases, the best way to communicate with them is through writing. They will appreciate communication through email or chat. As much as possible, deal with them through the communication method they are most comfortable with. This does not mean you have to avoid talking to them in person or contacting them by phone. Occasionally making compulsory personal or telephone conversations shouldn’t hurt but forcing them to communicate in the same way everybody else does would be counterproductive.

5. Give them space.

This is not just about personal space. It’s a given that introverts would want to maintain that invisible barrier around them, to avoid the rowdiness and not so proper demeanor of others in the office. It can be helpful to give them an actual physical space where everyone can just do things silently on their own. Introverts are easily distracted so it would be helpful to provide them a place where they can work at their most productive state. This may even be useful to other employees.

6. Find ways to get them engaged in other ways.

Don’t force introverts to do things where they can never excel. Instead, find ways to make use of them in other ways. You can just relegate them to behind-the-scenes tasks when having PR or social activities. Let them handle social media or online marketing when conducting promotions that require everyone’s participation.

7. Make them aware of the effort to treat them slightly differently and expect something from them.

Certainly, employee-employer/manager relationship should be two-way setup. The management can’t be expected to be the only one to adjust to employees and attempt ways to boost their productivity and satisfaction in the workplace. It’s important to make this clear, to make introverted employees realize that there’s a conscious effort to help them professionally and personally.

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Ultimately, dealing with introverts in the workplace involves a lot of compromises. Understanding them is an inevitable part of trying to engage them. Don’t be quick to consider introvertedness is a defect. Sometimes, introverts can be better than the typical employees or the extroverts. Find ways to make the most of what they can offer to the company. You eventually have to let go of them if you are certain that you’ve done eveything to make them a good part of the company.