This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Catherine Fadashe, a 30-year-old communications and marketing associate at an asset management firm based in the UK. Her employment and identity have been confirmed by Business Insider. This story has been edited for length and clarity.
We operate in a hybrid setting. I spend three days in the office and two days at home.
I joined nearly three years ago, right around when we were easing out of the strictly remote situation. My previous role, which was my first corporate job, was at a strictly remote venture capital firm.
As an introvert, it was a huge adjustment transitioning to hybrid work — and I’ve had to learn how to protect my energy by adopting a few habits.
I’ve chosen to be in this career and I know that it requires me to interact with people. So it’s my duty to figure out coping mechanisms that work.
I pretend I’m on stage
When I walk into the office, I pretend I’m going on stage. When the lift doors open, I make a mental countdown. Five, four, three, two, one, and then lights, camera, action. Being in the mindset that I’m about to go onstage helps because I need something to help me role play. It’s my coping mechanism.
For me, work isn’t about being myself. People talk about bringing your authentic self to work, but as an introvert, I don’t think that would serve me well. That would mean me not really talking to anyone and just typing away at my desk.
It’s not to say that I don’t bring a bit of my own personality, but I owe it to the profession I’ve chosen to not always be my most authentic self.
I felt like I had to have this mentality in my role because I have to be able to communicate with people, and I always have to “be on.” It’s a relationship-driven role.
I protect my energy
I need to recharge quite a lot. I love being in my own bubble. I need a lot of alone time.
A lot of people in the corporate space eat lunch together. I get the advantages of that, but I also know I have to protect my energy. I still go out with colleagues sometimes, but I prefer one-on-one as opposed to a group situation. Typically though, during lunch or between the working day, I go out for a mini walk to clear my head and be by myself.
I also book times in meeting rooms sometimes to get a chunk of work done. We have a library in the office that not a lot of people use. So, that’s also a great place for me to recharge and decompress.
I spend an hour in complete silence after work
It depends on the workload, but I’m a highly sensitive person, and sometimes I feel overstimulated after work, both after the office and working from home. After work, I can finally bring all my feelings to the surface and I need to decompress. So I spend a good hour in complete silence. It allows my brain to simmer down and recharge.
I don’t even like listening to music at that time and I try not to go on social media on my way to work. I don’t want that input because I get enough at work. I like to keep my brain silent for as long as possible, and that helps my body calm down and process all the information.
Being an introvert means nothing about my colleagues or where I work. It’s about who I am as a person. And I think that’s what I believe employees need to be more cognizant of. The corporate world often rewards extroverts, but we’re all different, and the working space should reward different kinds of personalities.
