Many jobs require a high degree of interactivity, such as retail, hospitality, and food service. For some people, interaction can be energizing and exciting, while for others, it can be a source of stress and energy-drain. So how do introverts navigate being stuck in an extravert’s job? How do they react to job demands that seem so challenging considering their personality?
THE RESEARCH STUDY
The researchers (Wanberg et al., 2025) surveyed 135 participants about their levels of introversion and which work demands they characterized as going against their nature. From that initial pool, the researchers conducted 17 semi-structured interviews to gain more insight into the trait-incongruent demands and how people responded to them.
Some of the most prevalent demands included engaging with unfamiliar people, being cheerful and energetic, being in the spotlight, and being in charge or assertive. When faced with these demands, introverts tried three approaches. (1) They tried to avoid or procrastinate, leading to guilt or worry. (2) They tried to prepare, leading to possible relief or exhaustion, depending on how the event went. (3) They tried to engage in surface acting to “get through” the demand, leading to generally negative moods and exhaustion, which required further time to process and recover.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Introverts are not going anywhere in the workforce, and neither are people-oriented jobs. That doesn’t mean introverts have to be left to figure it all out for themselves. To best support introverted employees, organizations can do the following:
- Provide advanced notice of job demands to employees, especially when they seem to be incongruent with employee personality. This will help people prepare.
- Teach employees grounding techniques (such as breathing exercises) and give them something external to focus on (such as note-taking). This will help keep them from anxiously ruminating or having their mind go blank.
- Promote work-life balance and disconnecting from work after hours. This will allow introverts to engage in recharging activities.
- Help employees view difficult situations as learning and growth opportunities rather than demands.
Wanberg, C. R., Park, Y., & Ren, S. L. (2025). Introversion and trait incongruent work demands: Episodic misfit at work. Personnel Psychology, 78, 151-175.
Image credit: Unsplash+