How to Set Professional Boundaries That Protect your Well-Being
Burnout, quiet quitting and job abandonment all feel too familiar to both employers and employees in the post-COVID era. These harmful trends are sweeping industries across the board and leave many people wondering about the cause.
As millennials step into leadership roles and the workplace of the future moves into the present, more and more professionals find themselves in need of healthy boundaries. They want to protect themselves from burnout and choose jobs that align with their personal values and beliefs. Additionally, they’re looking for positions where they can preserve their mental health and overall well-being.
Setting boundaries is an important part in that process. Organizations should promote and respect healthy boundaries in the workplace, but if yours doesn’t, then you need to know how to set them for yourself. In this article, we’ll look at the importance of setting boundaries and give you some practical tips for learning how to protect yourself from the “hustle culture.”
Why You Should Set Healthy Boundaries
Setting healthy work boundaries is about more than just knowing how many projects you can handle. It’s also about protecting yourself from situations that could be physically, emotionally or mentally harmful to you. You should feel happy and satisfied about your accomplishments at the end of the workday, not worn out or exhausted.
There are three main reasons why boundary-setting should be your top priority at work:
Avoid toxic environments. No one wants to work in a toxic environment where their mental health is challenged regularly. These include workplaces that don’t respect your personal boundaries, expect the job to be your top priority or abuse your skills and talents. When you prioritize your mental and emotional boundaries, you can avoid accepting positions at organizations that you suspect won’t respect them. Oftentimes, however, showing respect for yourself throughout the interview garners the same level of respect from others and can quash the issue before it even arises.
Work-life balance. Boundaries are the foundation of a healthy work-life balance. You need your work environment to allow you to take care of yourself before taking care of others or company projects. Taking the time to prioritize self-care means you can take the time and space you need to renew and energize yourself before returning to work each day. It’s one way you can practice self-leadership so that you can give your best to those you love, lead and serve.
Prevent burnout. You can also prevent burnout with a better work-life balance and time to take personal space when needed. Knowing when you need to take time off to rest and recuperate (and actually taking that time) is an important physical boundary to set with your employer. Unplugging from your work email, communication channels and project management platforms will help you get the rest you need to prevent feeling burnt out and stay happy in your role.
Healthy boundaries help you to prioritize your self-leadership so you’re always ready to step up and give your best to your team.
6 Ways to Set Boundaries at Work
Now that you know why setting boundaries is so important, let’s look at a few practical ways you can set healthy boundaries at work, whether with your boss, coworkers or even yourself.
The more healthy boundaries you set for yourself, the more you can contribute to building a culture of wellness in your organization. The boundaries you need most often vary with your work situation, so we’ll cover tips for in-office, remote and hybrid roles.
1. Say No
This is a fundamental aspect of setting boundaries. Saying no can feel daunting, especially if you need to say it to your boss or a potential employer, but it’s the easiest way to establish clear boundaries quickly and decisively.
The key when saying no is to remember that you aren’t being disagreeable or stubborn, you’re offering the necessary pushback to communicate where your boundaries are. This sets up the framework for a healthy workplace relationship. It tells your boss and team members what you can and cannot do for them and shows that you will respectfully uphold those boundaries, even when pushed.
2. Stick to Work Hours
This boundary can be particularly difficult to keep if you work from home. You might have coworkers in different time zones or who work different hours than you reaching out all times of the day. It might feel tempting to leave your Slack or Teams notifications on indefinitely, but that means you never fully unplug to enjoy your personal life.
It’s critical in remote work to set your daily schedule and stick to it. Communicate to your team and supervisors what hours you’ll be “on the clock” in your time zone and when you silence your notifications for the day. Be sure to respect those boundaries yourself; you set the example of how you want to be treated.
Outside of your work hours, set your notifications to “do not disturb” and resist the urge to check in on anything work-related. Give yourself that time to focus on what makes you happy and fulfills you personally. Consider clocking off completely as a mental boundary set for your own well-being.
3. Block Your Time
This tip works for every work situation—in-office, remote and hybrid. It’s important to prioritize your productivity time so you can focus on your work and ensure you’re fulfilling the duties of your role. However, when people schedule surprise Zoom calls on your calendar or book meetings during your lunch break, it can be hard to accomplish those top-priority tasks.
It’s easy for your day to fill up with extraneous items if people see free time on your calendar. Instead of letting others dictate every minute of your day, block time on your calendar to accomplish the things on your to-do list. This can help you and your team better plan meetings around your work and lets people know which hours you need quiet time to work.
A key element to making this system work is communication. Your team should know what it means when they see time blocked off on your calendar and whether it’s okay to ask you to respond when you’re available. You can set guidelines such as, “I’ll respond to all messages when I check my email or Slack” or update your status on your communication platform to say when you’ll be available again. This tells people when they can expect to hear from you again so they don’t assume you’ll send an immediate response.
4. Set Expectations for Response Times
Especially if you’re a young professional, you might feel like you have to respond to coworker or customer emails right away. However, establishing this firm boundary upfront is a good way to keep yourself from feeling overwhelmed.
The key is to do this the right way. You need to communicate your established response times to your entire team or customers at the beginning of your relationship. It could be that you only answer emails at certain times during the day or that you promise to get back to people within 24 hours. Whatever your preference, be sure that you clearly communicate it so people understand your boundary and are prepared to respect it.
5. Speak Up
Perhaps the toughest part of setting these different types of boundaries is knowing when you need to speak up. It can be intimidating to tell your boss or coworkers that you’re struggling or need help, but it’s also how you get help. It’s critical to know when you’re asked to go above and beyond your job description for appropriate reasons and when it’s taking advantage of your time and integrity.
Don’t be afraid to speak up if things aren’t working for you. Maybe your team is trying a new process and it’s made your job more difficult or losing a team member has added extra work and stress to your plate. Instead of getting frustrated and maybe even looking for a new job, have a conversation with your manager or supervisor. Explain your pain points and work with them to find a solution. You’ll be surprised how many leaders are willing to make changes to help you.
The key during this process is to remember that you’re having a conversation, not making demands. Be willing to listen to alternative perspectives and solutions so that you can work together with your manager to find a solution that works for you and the organization.
6. Take Time Off
Sometimes what you really need is time away from work. Whether that’s a mental health day, vacation time or some PTO to enjoy family time on a Friday, taking time off of work helps you prevent burnout by giving you space to rest and gather energy from the things and people you love.
Using your vacation and sick days is a critical boundary to set with yourself and your organization. This time is designed to help you prioritize your physical, emotional and mental health so you can perform better when you go back to work. Studies show that avoiding taking time off work can lead to burnout, chronic stress and physical health issues.
Even if you feel like taking time off is frowned upon in your organization, make it clear that you intend to use the time you’ve earned to take care of yourself.
Prioritize Your Well-Being
Feeling happy and engaged at work comes from prioritizing your well-being and setting clear boundaries with bosses and coworkers. It can feel scary at first, but practice makes perfect. The more you communicate your boundaries at work, the more comfortable you’ll be upholding them when they’re tested.
When you set healthy boundaries in the workplace, you can prevent burnout, avoid toxic work environments and ensure you have the work-life balance you need to pursue your professional goals. At Building Champions, we believe that self-leadership always precedes team leadership. Learn how to elevate your self-leadership with us and start taking control of your professional life.
