So, I’ve lost track. The world shut down in Spring 2020, re-opened briefly in the Fall of 2020, shut down again at the beginning of 2021, and depending on where you live, started to gradually re-open at the beginning of Summer 2021.

At my firm, many employees have returned or are returning to work. That is, where they used to work: in the office. It appears absolutely every company is approaching the transition differently, which may range from companies introducing new, hybrid work environments allowing some remote working, to some which try to implement a “Hi, we’d like to welcome you back to work as if the pandemic never happened” approach.

I’m not going to write here about what is possibly the best approach to take. Undeniably, whatever approach is taken, this period of working from home has impacted everyone’s mental health.

Some introverts loved it and wanted to work from home forever, using applications such as Zoom. Some extroverts couldn’t wait for it to end. Some introverts suddenly became online extroverts through platforms such as Twitter, which became a hilarious form to follow everyone’s take on the pandemic (e.g., https://resetyoureveryday.com/relatable-tweets-work-from-home-wfh-2021/.) I’d say the use of Twitter or other forms of social media became, for some, a form of collective effervescence, the synchrony when happiness spreads through a group. A minor form, perhaps, but it was the feeling that you felt talking with friends, who were really strangers, about something shared or just trivial; it gave you the feeling of being in a group. It was at least something.

And of course, there was Zoom, Teams, Duo, etc. The joys of choosing whether to turn on the video or leave it off. Remembering to mute and then forgetting when you start speaking. The hilarious videos online: newscasters with kids dancing behind them, etc. Noticing the number of my male colleagues all of a sudden growing beards (why…?!). Noticing the number of video chats with folks with guitars behind them… does everyone play the guitar?! I ended up doing it myself a couple of times just for fun.

People talk about “Zoom fatigue” but some still like it. I’ve met many people for the first time “in person” (that is to say, I actually saw what they looked like) using Zoom because so much of my work is done either by email or – previously – simply over the telephone. For many, the use of being able to chat via apps like Zoom has adjusted them almost too much, to the extent that some joke about how they now find it strange to use their telephone to join conference calls (“It was so simple to just click a link… typing in all of these numbers is such a pain!”)

Even in the post-pandemic world (whenever that really will be), the widespread use of video chatting will not disappear; I think a good thing, at least. Video chatting applications will develop and upgrade with newer features and faster (don’t you want an Antarctica background with penguins?). You will have the ability to video chat from the office more, depending on where you work, so that will mean you won’t be able to chat online with your PJ bottoms on (or worse).

Introvert or Extrovert?

So at the beginning of the pandemic, when it came to working at least, I was definitely in the Phil Collins “Yes, I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life!” camp. I would never have called myself an introvert, but the absolute need for human interaction, at least from a work perspective, wasn’t required. My days became more productive, with fewer distractions, and I was careful to maintain a semblance of routine; getting up in the morning at the same time, coffee, at the computer, and onwards. I’d wear clothing that was always at least respectable for a video chat.

I did “meet” many clients and others online with whom I had been liaising for years for the first time. I chatted via Zoom with those I already knew, and knew well, which was also just fine, because it could be done quickly and didn’t require a physical meeting. I still don’t miss physical meetings with current clients, prospective clients, or just many colleagues. Not at all. I know I’m not alone.

That doesn’t make me an introvert though, because I do miss the things done outside of the office environment or just small things while in the office. I miss the ability to pop into someone’s office for their view on a particular matter or just to quietly gossip about… stuff. I’ve been using WhatsApp to replace the latter, but it doesn’t come close to an honest chat. As a senior attorney in our Firm, I’ve missed the ability to interact with very junior associates or those just starting their legal careers. I find it hard to believe how this experience will impact their professional lives.

I miss the social interaction of liaising with some of my friends and colleagues outside of work, of course. A simple drink after work. Using Houseparty or having virtual drinks is not a substitute. As mentioned, using WhatsApp to chat virtually, is not the same. It’s great to have this kind of technology, but it has its limitations.

I’m not an extrovert, of course. I’m going back to work now, but I won’t be running around like a maniac. I won’t rush around, with my N95 mask on, into everyone’s office announcing “I’m back!”, organizing office parties, etc. Instead, I’ll go and see the people I want to see, who I’ve genuinely missed, those whom I’ve been working with online, chatting with remotely online, and those who I don’t even know very well. But then, I’ll be working in the office, just like I did back home.

But life has changed as a result of COVID-19. The workplace has changed. But I have an office at the office, and I have an office at home. I’m working in both, no matter what. Working from home gives me the freedom and flexibility to arrange the day how I see fit.

I was lucky to be able to quarantine like that. I’m one of the fortunate. Many are not. Everyone’s circumstances are different – vastly different – and that is something I will always appreciate.

I don’t know if I’m an introvert or an extrovert due to all of this (or an ambivert, which I didn’t even know was a category before writing this.) Perhaps I’m an extroverted introvert?

Or I’m just me.

Just don’t try to meet me for the first time, saying “Hi” using your AirPods and Zoom while crossing the road.

Chris Garrod – July 2021 [updated October 2021]