How Introverts Can Thrive in an Office Full of Extraverts

Like clockwork, your coworkers grab lunch together every day at noon on the dot. They vent over the morning’s challenges, connect about shared interests, and laugh about the ridiculous typo in that recent email.

Their camaraderie doesn’t stop there. They’re constantly planning happy hours and after-work social events, and they’re notorious for talking over each other in team meetings.

You? You’re always invited—they aren’t intentionally excluding you by any stretch of the imagination. But you consider yourself to be far more introverted than the majority of your colleagues, which often leaves you feeling like the odd person out.

You aren’t alone. In fact, studies estimate that Introverts make up one-third to half of the U.S. population.

Even so, it often feels like the modern workplace is geared specifically toward Extraverts. We champion collaboration, praise those who are outspoken, and admire quick thinking.

That means introverts are often misunderstood. They’re quickly mislabeled as shy, antisocial, or aloof. But that’s not the whole picture. While Introverts do tend to be more reserved than their extraverted counterparts, what really sets them apart are characteristics like:

• They recharge alone, rather than in social settings
• They’re more focused on internal thoughts and feelings than external stimuli
• They prefer more time to think independently

None of those characteristics are things that should inhibit an Introvert’s success in the workplace—in fact, in many cases, they can actually be a benefit.

However, there’s no denying that it can be tough to find your place and foster a positive reputation when you’re an introvert surrounded by an office full of extroverts. You don’t want to seem disconnected or disinterested, but you also don’t want to constantly be making yourself uncomfortable.

Here’s the good news: There are some strategies you can put into place to thrive in your career—even if you’re one of only a few Introverts in your workplace. Here’s what you need to know.

Make Connections in Other Ways

Where Introverts really sell themselves short is by assuming that being introverted means they can’t form any valuable bonds with their coworkers. Sure, maybe you won’t be heading out to all of those frequent happy hours, but that doesn’t mean you can’t connect in other ways.

Even small behaviors—like dropping the occasional funny message in your company’s instant messaging channel or offering some assistance to a colleague who’s obviously swamped—help you forge those valuable relationships in ways that don’t involve a draining group setting.

You might also find it easier to engage with people one-on-one. A brief lunchtime walk or a cup of coffee with just one colleague at a time will drive the point home that you aren’t at all antisocial and are still eager to know and relate to your coworkers—even if you don’t make an appearance at all of those social events. And arguably, you’ll form even deeper, more valuable connections that way.

Get What You Need to Adequately Prepare

Your team meetings are your nightmare. Your colleagues love to spitball ideas—they think on the fly and toss suggestions out there on a whim.

You, on the other hand, have never been one to think on your feet. You prefer some time to chew on some ideas ahead of time, and then come to that conversation prepared. There’s only one problem: It’s impossible for you to prepare if you don’t know what’s going to be talked about.

Well, have you ever asked? When you see a meeting dropped on your calendar, send a short and friendly email to the meeting organizer to get a better idea of what the intention of that conversation is. Here’s a simple template you can use:

Hey [Name],

Hope you’re having a great day!

I’m looking forward to our meeting about [topic] coming up on [date]. One question for you: Is there an agenda or a general plan for what topics we plan to cover during that conversation?

I’d love to have some time to prepare ahead of our discussion, so I’m ready to attend that meeting with some valuable contributions.

Thanks so much,

[Your Name]

Doing so actually demonstrates an increased level of engagement and professionalism—and it’ll give you the time you need to internally reflect and process before joining a larger group conversation.

Lay Some Ground Rules

Imagine how much more effectively we’d all be able to work together if we were more explicit about important things like our preferences and our communication styles. That’s valuable information for us to know about each other, yet we’re all so hesitant to assert what we need.

Making this information known to all of your colleagues can be challenging—particularly if you consider yourself to be introverted.

One great (and less-assertive way) to do so is to approach your supervisor and suggest this as an exercise for your entire team. It’s a chance for all of you to fill out some sort of questionnaire and create rough “user guides” for working with each of you.

As part of this exercise, you can each answer important questions like:

• What’s your preferred communication method? Why?
• How do you prefer to receive feedback?
• What’s your biggest work-related pet peeve?
• What’s the most important thing your colleagues should know to work effectively with you?

Those answers should be stored somewhere that you can all access and refer to them when needed.

By doing this with your whole team, you’ll have the opportunity to loop them in on important information about you—like the fact that you favor email over in-person meetings or you want to receive an agenda before a meeting—while still seeming collaborative and supportive. Plus, you’re bound to learn some enlightening tidbits about your own colleagues too.

Reserve Some Quiet Time for Yourself

Another example that the modern workplace is much more suited to Extraverts? The fact that there isn’t always a lot of time for quiet, heads-down work. There are seemingly endless meetings and distractions that derail your focus. In fact, studies estimate that out of a standard eight-hour workday, we’re all only productive for an average of two hours and 53 minutes.

That can be draining when you’re introverted, and you’ll likely find yourself craving some time when you can reflect and think independently.

If you work in an office where everyone has access to each other’s calendars, block off some time each day or week that you can reserve for your solo work—and then honor it like you would any other commitment.

Working with headphones on can also tune out some of the background noise while also subtly indicating that you’re not to be bothered at the moment.

Finally, it can be worth having a conversation with your boss about increased flexibility and the option to work remotely every now and then. While that might make you concerned about appearing like you aren’t willing to collaborate, that doesn’t have to be the case. Present this as a way for you to be your most productive and effective self, rather than an opportunity for you to get some much-needed solitude, and your supervisor will be far more receptive to the suggestion.

You Don’t Need to Be Extroverted to Excel at Work

When’s the last time you heard someone apologize for being extraverted in the office? Probably not very often. Yet, so many introverts feel the need to justify their own working styles and preferences.

While working in an office full of extraverts can be a challenge, it’s nothing you need to feel sorry about—you’re equally as valuable as your more socially-oriented colleagues.

But you also owe it to yourself to control what you can and craft a work environment where you can excel. Fortunately, the above tips should help you do just that.