Jemini Dalal is Marketing Manager for one of the largest independent recruitment agencies in the UK, Gleeson Recruitment Group. She has a vast amount of professional experience working in managerial positions for the marketing teams of several brands, and is also a business and marketing graduate with a Master’s degree in UX design.
Work-life balance. Three magical words we’re all intimately familiar with, yet most of us are unsure exactly how they should translate to our own realities. It’s a concept that looks drastically different from one person to the next depending on values and priorities, and doesn’t mean literally splitting your time 50/50 between both. After all, work might genuinely be the thing that you find most fulfilling, and there’s nothing wrong with that!
What are healthy boundaries?
Personal boundaries help us to define our ‘edges’ – where we end, and other people begin. They create a space in which we can be our genuine selves, and make decisions which align with our personal integrity. Our boundaries dictate how we allow other people to treat us, and are drawn from the framework of our core beliefs, opinions and values. We use our boundaries to identify situations in which we may need to take action to help others, whilst keeping our personal and mental safety intact. In this article, we’ll explore five tips to maintain healthy boundaries in the workplace.
Know your values
What’s important to you: your family? Alone time? Always keep this motivator in the forefront of your mind. If you’ve decided you’re going to work on your physical fitness, set a non-negotiable boundary that you leave work at a certain time every day to work on it. Be sure to pay attention to how fulfilling it feels when you’re able to express and maintain your boundaries, and the difference it makes to your overall happiness and wellbeing.
Practise saying no
Being a ‘yes person’ is enshrined in Western culture – we’re taught to find solutions, not problems, and to ‘make things happen’. However, you can only say yes so many times before burnout becomes a very real threat. So, start by saying ‘no’ to things you don’t want to do in your personal life. Don’t want to go on that second date but feel obliged? No. Perhaps you’d rather not help a friendly acquaintance move house? Say no! When you’re used to this, you’ll feel much more empowered the next time you’re asked to take on tasks over and above your maximum workload.
Be prepared for pushback
Decide in advance how you intend to handle pushback situations when they arise, and be prepared for different scenarios. For instance, let’s say you’re being asked to work on a project during an evening you’ve promised to help the kids with their homework – how will you respond? Focus on the reason you’ve chosen to set the boundary in the first place, and how beneficial it will be for you in the long run.
Communicate
People will have far less reason to complain if they know what to expect. Let everyone know that you’ll no longer be responding to emails after 5.30pm, and also be clear on what constitutes a ‘work emergency’ so that people don’t use this as an excuse to sneak past your boundaries. Put a note in your email signature if you’re really keen to hammer home the point. Communication can also mean saying yes, and meaning yes – don’t agree to something you don’t want to do, and then do it passive-aggressively. If you know other people are relying on you to get something done, do it wholeheartedly.
Keep it respectful
Boundaries are all about respect – and that goes both ways. If a colleague says something inappropriate that you feel needs to be addressed, go for it, but sarcasm, put-downs and unconstructive criticism should be strictly off-limits. Boundaries should never be used to punish another person, and if you make it clear you respect the person you’re speaking with, you’re far more likely to receive respect back. Work on calling people in Vs calling them out – make it your aim to understand different perspectives and points of view, rather than alienating, and focus on finding mutual understanding rather than confrontation. Behave with grace, work on your emotional intelligence, and the rest will follow.
