Boundaries are essential in practically any scenario. Whether you’re at home, at work, or out running errands, you need boundaries.
You wouldn’t want one of your parents to come into your office and start discussing a family member’s health issues in front of your co-workers. You wouldn’t want your boss inviting himself/herself into your home, sitting down to dinner with your family, and telling everyone about how you need to be at work right now.
For these reasons, you need boundaries. It’s healthy to have physical, emotional, financial, and professional boundaries
How to Set Professional Boundaries
Here are a few simple ways to set professional, yet effective boundaries so that you can make the most out of the time you have with your family.
Know Your Workload
Get familiar with your current workload so that you can make enough time to get everything done by the end of each workday. By staying on top of your workload, you’ll be less tempted to stay behind after hours to finish a project or come in during your weekends off.
Keep a planner or write clear checklists that cover everything you need to do each day. Give yourself a few minutes break to get up and stretch after a particularly demanding task.
Practice Good Communication
Work on communicating with your bosses and colleagues in a respectful, yet clear manner. Don’t beat around the bush about your needs and expectations, because any lack of clarity could lead to complications later.
Communicate that you’re ready and willing to help whenever you’re truly available, but make it clear to everyone around you that you’ll be out of reach during your time off. This way, no one at work can feign surprise when you don’t answer texts on a Sunday.
Be Assertive
Unless you’re on-call or your employment contract specifies that you’re required to be available at all times, you’re not. This means that you’re well within your rights to say no to extra hours or requests to come to work on your day off. Your time off belongs to you and it’s important to be able to maintain that balance between your personal life and your job.
Be firm when discussing your schedule availability, and be sure to note specific times you won’t be able to come in (ex: weekends with your kids, church, etc.). Other than that, you do not have to ask for time to yourself. When you’re not scheduled to work, you’re not obligated to answer your phone or report back into work until your next scheduled shift.
Bring Your Boundaries Home
Take the boundaries you’ve communicated to your co-workers and managers and bring them home with you. When you’ve told everyone that you won’t be available at all during your time off, BE UNAVAILABLE. Don’t answer calls. Don’t look at texts. If one of your managers happens to knock on your door (it’s happened), pretend you’re not home. When others are permitted to push past your boundaries once, they’ll continue to do so. Put your foot down right away.
When you set boundaries, you’re likely going to come across people who don’t appreciate your need for privacy. Remain polite and professional, but don’t compromise your well-being to satisfy someone else. If you need your weekends off work to spend quality time with the people you love, take steps to ensure that you receive that time by setting and reinforcing your boundaries.
