Introverts, Black Women, and The Return to Work | TIS Ep. 43

August 18, 2021 the-introvert-sisters Show Notes Comments Off on Introverts, Black Women, and The Return to Work | TIS Ep. 43

Introverts, Black Women, and The Return to Work | TIS Ep. 43

Episode Summary:

As the world begins to open up more fully, many companies are tightening the screws and insisting that employees return to work. There are a few that are letting their employees choose, some that have embraced the WFH forever model (Twitter, Slack) but it seems that most (e.g. Goldman Sachs, Amazon, Apple) have decided that office is best. Here, Sharon and Lisa, the Introvert Sisters, discuss why they feel companies should not force introverts. Black women, or anybody that doesn’t want to, to go back into the office.

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3 Big Takeaways:

  1. On returning to work: “Language matters. I object to the phrase “Return to Work.” We have been working.”
  2. On who gets to work from home: “Not every role can be performed remotely, but for the ones that can, let people choose.”
  3. On why introverts prefer working from home: “Working from home helps introverts to focus, which in turn makes it easier for us to be productive. Which is what companies want.”

8 Juicy Quotes: 

  1. “Introverts have a lot to offer. We are deep thinkers. We are great planners. We are great researchers. And all successful teams need those people.”
  2. “Isn’t it better to put introverts, and everyone, into the kind of environments in which we thrive, rather than forcing us into places that actively militate against our success, and diminish our ability to perform at our best?”
  3. Working from home lets us focus on results, rather than trying to perform productivity.”
  4. “WFH lets us introverts perform at our best without the pressure of conforming to the extroverted norm.”
  5. “Only 3% of Black professionals want to return to the office.”
  6. “In office environments, many Black women are subjected to the twin assumptions of hyper-sexuality and incompetence.”
  7. “Companies want you to be the sole Black employee because they want you unstable, unsupported, unsettled, unable to form any kind of coalition, and unable to self-advocate.”
  8. “Working from home lets us be professional on our terms, rather than trying to fit uncomfortably into spaces that are not built for us, and that are defined by white supremacy.”

By The Numbers:

  • 1:01 – Introverts Uniting Separately segment: The sisters catch up as usual, with Sharon sharing about her Hurricane Elsa experience. 
  • 12:10 – In Our World segment: Sharon and Lisa discuss the Return to Office issue, and explain why so many people, especially introverts and Black people, don’t want to return to an office—ever. 

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