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Something introverts fear is about to end for good

Woman working from home

If you asked any introvert to name the one thing they've appreciated the most about this new reality ushered in by the pandemic, working from home is sure to be a popular answer. 

That being said, in light of the fact that Covid is beginning to recede, it's no surprise many fear this flexibility will soon be coming to an end. 

It's not to say that extroverts don't value being able to work in their pajamas and binge on Netflix while crunching numbers. 

But on the whole, introverts -- who are partial to written communication -- are less enthusiastic about a return to face-to-face interactions. 

Because our social batteries drain more easily than those of our more extroverted counterparts, we haven't found ourselves in need of a recharge quite as often these past few years. 

Sure, Teams and Zoom meetings aren't always fun, but we'll take them any day of the week over having to be present for pointless brainstorming sessions and water cooler conversations.

Not only do introverts find they can be at their most creative and productive when allowed to work independently in the comfort of their home office, it helps to keep their morale elevated. 

Let's face it: Not having to deal with unruly bosses and obnoxious co-workers face-to-face can make the difference between liking your job and absolutely loathing it. 

While the vast majority of us would opt to be fully remote, we understand that might be a bit too much to ask. That's why we'd settle for a hybrid format where we can work from home 2 to 3 times per week. 

We can handle in-person meetings and office days in small doses. We just don't want to go back to the 9-to-5, 40 hours a week office routine that sucked our souls dry. 

If companies learned something over this two-year span, it's that (1) employees have proven they can be just as effective -- if not more so -- working from home as in the office, and (2) they're ready to walk if the company becomes  opposed to remote work. 

If businesses want butts in seats in order to justify paying rent, they're doing themselves and their workers a huge disservice. Even if they have to take a hit initially, the savings in overhead over the long run will more than make up for it. What's more, you just can't place a price tag on an engaged, loyal workforce. 

Should mass demonstrations over remote work become a thing, you can rest assured that introverts will be leading the pack. 

But let's keep our fingers crossed that working in our PJs is here to stay. 

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