5 Steps to Set Work Boundaries Without Compromising Performance or Professionalism
The only reward for hard work is more work.
This short sentence alone speaks to why more than 50% of Americans feel job burnout and abandon their careers. While burnout can be considered a buzzword during recent times, the World Health Organization defines it as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. In layman's terms, this means simply that folks are quitting their jobs because they can't take it anymore. Although it varies from person to person, many reasons stem from the lack of workplace boundaries. This month we will explore how to create healthy work boundaries without tarnishing your professional career and relationships.
Number 1: What's for you is for you; what's for me is for me—Identify Your Non-Negotiables!
When was the last time you stepped back and thought about your workload and how it makes you feel? It might have been over the holiday season or never at all. First, however, you need to think about if you are living to work or working to live.
Do you feel like you are continuously checking your email?
Are you exhausted and always skipping gym days?
Have you and your family over-relied on Uber Eats?
Have you become the friend constantly canceling due to work assignments or exhaustion?
Are you unable to complete work at work due to constant interruptions?
Are you losing sleep due to thinking about your never-ending to-do list?
Do you feel guilty for leaving work on time or not working on the weekends?
If you have answered yes to any of these questions, it is evident that you lack clear work boundaries. These questions can start your reflection process in recreating a work environment aligned with your lifestyle and priorities.
Like most people, I value my time and money. When I realized that my job could not pay me my worth (no one can), I decided to stop giving my all to a job that could decide to fire me at any moment. I made a conscious effort to set boundaries to decrease the work I did off the clock by increasing boundaries within the workday. I selected one late workday each week, blocked off a 40-minute daily lunch, and sent emails in place of redundant meetings. With these boundaries in place, I have the choice to deviate from them when needed, without resentment or remorse.
Number 2: I said, what I said – Name and Communicate Your Boundaries to Others
Once you have created your boundaries, you must communicate them to your team members and managers. Work boundary conversations can be awkward, but when presented professionally and specifically, they will yield more significant results in the end. For example, instead of apologizing or harping on feelings of overwhelm, frame it with the perspective of job performance.
If you have created a boundary of advance notice for new tasks and requests, instead of, "I feel so overwhelmed with the number of tasks on my plate, so I cannot take anything more." Try: "I would love to complete that task for you. Can I send it to you by next week Friday so that I can provide the detail and attention that it deserves?" By switching the tone of the request, you are communicating your willingness to complete the task, while also acknowledging that your capacity is limited due to other responsibilities. In this case, you and the other person should be able to compromise on a completion date, allowing you to redistribute your task list for the week ahead.
Whether you must communicate about a new task or need to leave to attend your student's parent-teacher conference, be clear.
Number 3: Your New Favorite Word – No is a Complete Sentence
You would be surprised at the number of things you agree to because you are afraid to disappoint someone else. However, it's easy to avoid disappointment by managing expectations. For example, if you have clearly stated boundaries about leaving work on time to attend your gym class, when you are asked if you are available to stay late, you can easily say, "No." Like dating, we must teach our jobs how to treat us. When your manager asks, "Is it okay if I tell the parent to call you tonight?" You should feel comfortable responding, "No. But I can call her when I arrive first thing in the morning or immediately after the school day ends." In both examples, the framing allows you to professionally communicate your boundaries without tarnishing your professional relationships, being insubordinate, or compromising what you need to succeed in the workplace. Now, there will undoubtedly be times where you will have to work outside of your boundaries. However, those times should be far and few between, and if it is recurring, signals the need to adjust or update your boundaries.
Number 4: Rest is a Form of Resistance – Respect Your Time Off
55% of salaried Americans do not use all their paid time off. Even hourly workers often pick up extra shifts to make additional income. But overworking has adverse effects on mental and physical health. Before continuing, though, I would be remiss in not acknowledging the reality of many hourly workers needing to pick up extra shifts to provide for their families. However, salary and hourly workers alike must find some time to disconnect and just be.
Although we know that hard work is not guaranteed to pay off, Americans continue to sacrifice their mental health and relationships for their jobs and careers. We also know that the feeling of relief and gained energy after having just one day off from the daily grind of capitalistic America, but still, we hustle. Some of us have sacrificed so much that our friends have stopped making plans with us, our dating life is nonexistent, and we think it's a treat to be able to scroll on Instagram uninterrupted for an hour. Yet, even when we take the day off, we still end up working or responding to questions via text and email. #guilty But this is why boundaries are necessary!
Rest is a form of resistance. A quote I recite and live by these days.
Have you ever worked on a task so long that it has become cumbersome and tedious to the point where your brain just stops working? But then you step away and come back to the task a few hours or days later, and then like magic, you can just knock it out. That's the power of rest. Sometimes it makes more sense to step away and breathe, then struggle and attempt to tough it out.
So, I challenge you. Put your days in. And LOG OFF! Not only does this allow your body and mind time to rest, but it also avoids blurring the lines with your team members. They reach out to you about work because they know you will answer. So, stop responding, and enjoy your time.
Number 5: Reflect, Reinforce, Revise and Enjoy Life
Sometimes ideas are better in theory than in practice. Therefore, after you have created your set of work boundaries and put them into action after a week or two, spend time reflecting on its impact. For example, are you feeling more productive, positive, optimistic about work? From here, it is a cycle of identifying what you need, setting boundaries, and reflecting on its impact. Without compromising your productivity, job performance, or happiness, the goal is work-life balance. Also, be sure to explore ways that you might be self-sabotaging your boundaries. For example, I created a boundary that communicated that if my door was closed, I was not to be disturbed. Except every time someone would knock, I would answer and provide them with assistance regardless of the ask. Once I realized the pattern, I recommunicated to team members that if the door is closed, they should only knock in emergencies. By making this adjustment, I reinforced my boundaries and still supported others when needed.
Setting work boundaries can be daunting. However, you must prioritize your mental health and sanity, particularly if you do not want to resent a job or career that you generally love.
I committed myself to maximizing my out-of-work hours so that I could genuinely enjoy the fruits of my labor. I have successfully sustained this commitment without compromising my work performance or contractual obligations. In fact, by prioritizing myself, I can show up and yield more significant results both at work and within my business, so I know that you can too!
Here's to creating healthy boundaries to support the lifestyle that you want in 2022!
Diana Williams, Resume Tailor
