Good professional boundaries - stay happy and healthy at work!
Without good, strong boundaries at work, you can end up resenting work, stressed and burnt out. As well as, producing poor quality work and dissatisfaction with your job. However, if you have good professional boundaries, you can stay happy and healthy at work.
The more boundaries at work you have, the better your job and life will be.
I was once asked on a podcast, ‘why do you think women struggle to speak up more for themselves?’ I recalled research which shows how girls and boys are raised differently. Even well-meaning parents can inadvertently instil double standards without realising it. Encouraging boys to take risks and girls to play quietly and talk when it is their turn. By the age of 6, girls are less likely compared to boys to report they can be ‘really really smart’ .
But does this translate into lacking boundaries? For example, if you are a ‘yes woman’ at work, this can result in increased expectations, more responsibility and potentially more work.
What do good professional boundaries look like?
Building good boundaries at work aren’t always easy, especially in more toxic work environments. I often hear the term “I just can’t” when working with clients. Also, there is a fine line between doing extra to get ahead, to working 60-70 hours a week consistently. Working to the point of burn-out for that promotion.
No or bad boundaries at work can be disguised as ‘company culture’ or the thing you have to do to get a promotion.
Good and bad boundaries often filter down to lower levels within teams. For example, if your boss is emailing you at 5am or 10pm, it creates an acceptable norm from the top down. Normalising behaviour can therefore create a company culture of ‘this is just what we do’.
It is equally important, in these instances, to recognise that this is not ‘normal’ workplace culture. If they are not paying you to be on your emails at 10pm, then you probably shouldn’t be.
One of the key problems in having bad boundaries at work are captured below in this diagram. It may not initially feel like a problem to work late, or say yes to that work. Especially if you enjoy the work. However, the problem lies in the consequences that follow as a result of this attitude.
What are good professional boundaries in the workplace?
In practice, good professional boundaries at work start with recognising and being aware that something you’re being asked to do is beyond your scope, capacity, role description or salary. Good professional boundaries look like you being comfortable to say no. As well as having a workplace culture where this is respected.
Workplace boundaries are especially difficult in small teams and start ups. Greater challenges also come from working from home and the lines blurring between home and work. The accessibility to technology allows us to check our emails, anywhere, any time, so it’s especially important to have clear, healthy boundaries.
Another good boundary to build into work is not being ‘available’ all the time. For example, always on your emails being able to respond to people.
Listen to more
If you are interested in listening to more about what good professional boundaries look like and how to implement them. Click here to listen to a podcast .
Assessing where you are on the scale of good to bad boundaries.
On that measure, if you score below 4, you really need to be thinking about how to build better professional work boundaries. If you score between 4 + 6, now is the time to start reflecting on the boundaries you do have and assessing how you can implement these in other areas of your work. If you scored above 6, consider evaluating where you may benefit from additional boundaries or enhancing and enforcing the ones you already have.
If you are interested in how to set up good professional boundaries, you can read more in a blog by Psych Central which provides a comprehensive list of tips for setting boundaries at work.
“Stop asking why people are treating you in a certain way and start asking yourself WHY you are letting them”
Do you want more help building better boundaries at work?
Are you thinking ‘this sounds like me’ jump on a clarity call to see how I can support you to regain your time, energy and happiness back by putting in healthy professional boundaries
Sarah is a Career Change Coach. She helps women breakthrough and pivot in their career. Whether you're not networking, developing your own work or side hustle! Stop feeling like you don’t know where to start and reach out!
Sarah has a Masters in Psychology and is both accredited by and a member of the British Psychological Society. She has experience working with the military and corporate sector in recovery, transition, leadership, and mentoring.
