Guide to Setting Boundaries at Work
No matter what you do, you find yourself overwhelmed with work and emails from colleagues that scream “urgent!”, almost every day. Of course, this leaves you drained and miserable. Time to put that trend to rest. While setting boundaries at work may seem challenging, it’s necessary for happiness, fulfillment, and productivity.
What Are Healthy Boundaries at Work?
Boundaries are limits we set for ourselves to protect our well-being and personal space. They’re like invisible limits that we use to communicate what sort of treatment is A-okay and what behaviors feel somewhat uncomfortable.
At work, you may set personal boundaries around your:
- Personal life and matters you’d rather keep private (e.g., anything to do with your family).
- Availability, like specific hours when you’re available for work-related matters (e.g., not answering emails on vacation).
- Workload expectations around how soon you can complete certain tasks (e.g., politely pushing back on an unrealistic deadline).
- Physical preferences such as saying you feel uncomfortable with hugs or discouraging unannounced drop-ins to your office.
