I’m an introvert and I like going to work to do my job and go home. I don’t understand people who use a job as a substitute for friendship or marriage. It’s a means to an end.
The sooner I do my duties, the longer my downtime is going to be, and I love having my downtime.
Many of my colleagues see me and immediately start asking questions I don’t want to answer, but neither do I want to hurt their feelings, I mostly want to be left alone. In the past this has been deconstructed as arrogance and people with fragile egos feel insulted by my indifference to them and that I prefer to work than to talk to them.
The world is made by extroverts. I have observed that people are eager to help you if you give them attention. I don’t get it, but neither I’m not going to change how extroverts think or feel.
If I give them the attention they need for as long as they need it I’m going to end up with daily headaches and neither my job nor theirs is going to be done.
I want to appear approachable, but keeping the info I feed them to a minimum. How do I do that?
What do you talk about to your coworkers?
What do you say to stop conversation organically? (meaning they don’t get offended).
Remote work. I could never get around these interactions in an office, but remotely, I can stretch out the IM replies to slow the people down. Then they generally move on to someone else to get instant gratification when other people answer them faster than I do.
https://hbr.org/2023/12/research-the-growing-inequality-of-who-gets-to-work-from-home
I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do about that. I started WFH in 2017 after the global company I worked for moved headquarters and offered me the option to work from home.
For context, I started as an entry level CSR, with a GED and no college degree. I still don’t have a college degree but with over 15 years of experience, I make great money in a low COL area. It can be done, but it takes work. It’s certainly not for everyone.