Have you ever found yourself staying late to finish a project because you didn’t want to say ‘no’ to your boss?
Maybe you’ve taken on extra tasks even when your plate was already full. Or perhaps you agreed to meetings at a time when your kids are home from school, and you’d prefer to be present?
Sound familiar? You’re not alone. We often find it tough to push back at work, but establishing clear workplace boundaries is essential.
But what exactly are workplace boundaries? How do they impact engagement and wellbeing? Why do we struggle with them? And how can you set and stick to them?
What are workplace boundaries?
Workplace boundaries are the limits and rules you set for yourself regarding how you interact with teammates, manage your time and handle your responsibilities. From a psychological point of view, they’re expectations and needs that help us feel safe and comfortable in relationships.
Different types of workplace boundaries
We spend so much time at work, so it’s important that we set boundaries in our work relationships. There are six main types of boundaries at work:
- Time – These relate to how you manage your work hours and personal time. Setting clear expectations around availability, deadlines, and work-life harmony helps prevent burnout.
- Emotional – This type involves recognising and respecting feelings and emotions. It’s about not taking on others’ emotional burdens and maintaining a healthy distance from workplace drama.
- Physical – These involve personal space and the physical environment, such as office layout and how close colleagues sit to one another. Respecting personal space helps everyone feel comfortable.
- Task – These involve defining roles and responsibilities within the team. Clear boundaries around who is responsible for what can help minimise overlap and confusion.
- Communication – This includes how and when you communicate with colleagues. Establishing guidelines for respectful communication can improve collaboration and reduce misunderstandings.
- Social – Involve the level of personal sharing and social interaction with colleagues. Setting these limits helps maintain professionalism while allowing for healthy relationships.
Related – : The importance of trust in teams (And how to fill that marble jar!)
Benefits of boundary setting
Boundary setting matters for many reasons, including physical and mental wellbeing, engagement and productivity.
When employees feel overwhelmed, unsupported or unappreciated because of unclear or breached boundaries, it leads to burnout, decreased job satisfaction and lower morale.
This means higher turnover rates, more recruitment and training costs and loss of knowledge. A boundaryless culture means a toxic work environment where collaboration fails and innovation stalls.
On the flip side, employees and companies flourish when boundaries are respected, fostering a healthier, more productive workplace for everyone!
Related: How can we create mentally well workplaces?
Why are we struggling with setting boundaries
But setting boundaries can be hard! Many of us struggle to say no at work. The reasons why can vary.
People-pleasing – We all want to be liked and accepted by our team and leaders, so we take on more than we can handle. Saying ‘yes’ becomes a way to get approval.
Looking committed – Another reason might be the fear of looking less committed to your job. In competitive work environments, there’s an unspoken pressure to show commitment through long hours and a never-ending to-do list. You might think saying ‘no’ to extra tasks means you’re not ambitious or putting in enough effort.
Cultural expectations – Many organisations have unwritten rules that say busyness is good. The more hours you put in the more valuable you are as an employee. This normalises overworking and makes taking breaks or setting limits feel like a sign of weakness.
Guilt or fear of conflict – Thinking of disappointing a manager or letting down a team makes it hard to set boundaries.
How to set boundaries – and stick to them?
While it may be hard to set healthy boundaries, it can be done! Here are some practical recommendations to become a better boundary setter:
Share your needs and preferences
- Share your preferred work structures (like if you’re a night owl or a morning person).
- Discuss your work hours and which days you’ll be in the office, especially in hybrid setups.
- Let people know when you need focus time and your availability for meetings.
- Mention any special needs, like support for childcare or elder care.
But, importantly, make sure you allow for some wiggle room. Sometimes, your business may need you to step outside your boundaries. However, this should be occasional rather than constant.
Use tools to communicate your boundaries
- Set out-of-office email replies and reminders for non-working hours.
- Use ‘Do not disturb’ on your phone and turn off notifications during focused work.
- Keep your team updated about your out-of-office times and holidays.
Learn to say ‘no’
Learning to say ‘no’ is key to prioritising your time and energy.
Start by recognising your physical and mental limits. Make sure you get enough sleep, rest and personal time. Also, learn to prioritise. Understand the difference between urgent and important, focus on being productive, not just busy.
Practice makes perfect when it comes to saying ‘no’! Be polite but firm. If saying it feels tough, try offering alternatives, like suggesting a later time. For example, say, “I’d love to help, but I’m focused on deep work until 2 pm. Let’s chat after.” Or point them to another person or resource.
Walk the talk
If you respond to emails after hours, you’re signalling that it’s okay to ignore your boundaries. Set the standard you want others to follow. And keep an eye out for sliding behaviours. Little boundary oversteps can quickly turn into big ones!
How to foster a boundary-fit culture as a leader
As a leader, you don’t just need to set boundaries for yourself. You also need to help your team to set boundaries for themselves and to create a culture where boundaries are expected. Here are some tips on how to do this:
Clearly communicate workplace norms
- Ensure clear job descriptions and responsibilities from day one.
- Define expected working hours, including nights and weekends.
- Set realistic workload limits to protect employee wellbeing.
- Set guidelines for response times for emails, messages and voicemails.
- Clarify the best communication methods for different needs (like using email for non-urgent matters and IMs for quick responses).
- Inform employees about any guidelines on time off or vacations.
- Implement firm behavioural practices and consequences to ensure a safe workplace.
Set the right example
If you’re working late into the night, your employees may feel pressured to do the same. Likewise, if you don’t prioritise time off for holidays or family, people may also hesitate to set those boundaries for themselves.
Because of this, it’s crucial you stick to your own (realistic) boundaries and ensure you block out time in your calendar for personal priorities.
Offer flexibility
Offering flexibility in how and where work gets done can help employees maintain their boundaries. Many companies are finding success with hybrid schedules, or you might consider a ‘core week’ approach, where employees work in the office during certain weeks but can choose their location otherwise.
Encourage people to be clear
Make sure people know they need to be very clear in setting boundaries from the start. If you don’t know what their boundaries are, it will be much harder to respect them. And make sure they feel comfortable discussing their boundaries.
Boundaries can be stated during one-to-ones, in team meetings and through written comms such as emails.
Boundaries help everyone bloom
Setting and respecting boundaries is hard, but the rewards in terms of engagement and physical and mental health wellbeing are big.
When we all set and keep our own healthy work boundaries and encourage others to do the same, we can help protect our time and energy, allowing us to show up as our best selves and create a healthier environment where people—and your business—can bloom!
