A man who is working at an Indian company expressed that “corporate is brutal on introverts”. He revealed that his boss told him that he is not “visible” to higher management, which could affect his promotion. The techie shared his story on Reddit and turned to the community for suggestions.
‘Corporate is brutal on introverts’
“I’m that introverted guy who doesn’t enjoy going to parties and prefers time alone,” he said, before adding, “I also tend not to speak in meetings unless I’m pretty sure I know what I’m saying.”
He then went on to share the feedback he received from his boss, which could affect his promotion.
“My manager has given me feedback that I’m not visible enough to higher management, which will also impact my promotion. My role is in tech, so pretty much most of my work is to be done alone, sitting at a desk. The person whom I report to has advised me to speak more in team and department meetings,” he wrote on Reddit.
The Redditor also went on to say that his super bosses perceive him as someone who is not vocal enough and that the company prefers “outgoing people who can interact with anyone and create a network”.
He also went on to share a piece of advice which he received from his boss on how to be more visible.
“He also said I am viewed as someone who’s soft, weak, unfunny, silent, and serious. My manager expects me to be good at networking, be vocal in lunch discussions, be loud, and be visible to higher management,” he shared.
However, he admitted that following this advice is difficult for him as an introvert.
He further expressed, “Being an introvert, this is tough for me, and I don’t know how to get over this. I know for sure this is going to impact my career in the long run.”
The Indian employee asked Reddit whether he should “fake it” or try to transform himself into an extrovert.
‘To succeed you need to…,’ Reddit shares suggestions
Reddit, as expected, didn’t disappoint this employee going through a state of confusion. Many suggested that he should start slow and try to be more “visible”. The post has received over 300 upvotes and numerous comments.
One software engineer responded to his post and wrote, “I faced the same thing, and I am serving notice period.”
Another added, “I am an introvert, but nobody at my workplace knows or can guess that. I step out of that ‘introversion’ when I’m interacting with someone at work or in a meeting.”
“Learn how to speak up, start slow, promise yourself that you will speak up at least once in every meeting or outing or any other social setup, start, learn, read books, watch YouTube videos to overcome this. To succeed in corporate work, you need to be visible. You are lucky to have such a supporting hoss,” commented yet another Reddit user.