3 TYPES OF WORKPLACE BOUNDARIES

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It’s no secret that we spend a lot of our time at work. On average, we spend about 2,080 hours on work per year. Research shows that work affects our mental health. According to a Workable Survey, 92.6% have personally experienced mental health challenges that impacted their work – and most of those challenges already existed pre-pandemic. Many workers support mental wellness at work. Often, people do things in the workplace to protect their mental well-being such as setting a boundary.

Storytime…

There was a time I tried to set a boundary at work, or so I thought. Several years ago I served as an academic advisor at a university. During my time in that role I used to get several spirited emails from students and colleagues. I would try my best to respond to the email in a professional manner, only to be met with another email with a less-than-pleasant tone. I quickly realized that if I kept responding, the sender would continue to send me emails. Thus, I instituted the two email exchanges rule.

If I received a negative email and I sent a reply, that counted as one email exchange. If they responded again, that would count as a second email exchange. Instead of responding to their email, I would wait until the next day and use this time as a cooling off period in hopes that when I responded the next day, they would be more receptive to the information I was trying to share. So, did it work? Yes, for the most part.

However, I thought I was setting a boundary for myself when in reality, I was setting a rule for the sender. I didn’t think about the difference between a rule and a boundary until this weekend when Dr. Raquel Martin, psychologist, shared the difference in an Instagram reel. Simply put, based on Dr. Martin’s explanation, a rule is something we set for other people. A boundary is something we set for ourselves. 

3 Types of Boundaries

According to BetterUp, there are 3 types of boundaries:

1. Mental: These types of boundaries help protect your mental energy.

   Example: Prioritizing tasks during the times of day you are most productive.

   Another example: Set an out of office (OOO) reply when you are taking vacation or personal time and commit to not checking your email during this time.

2. Physical: These boundaries help protect your body, health, and physical space.

   Example: Using your sick leave when you do not feel well.

3. Emotional: These boundaries help protect your emotional well-being by separating your emotions for other people’s emotions. Note: this does not mean you have to be heartless. Example: Receiving constructive feedback and acknowledging that the feedback is about your work and not your personal worth.

Basic Guide to Setting Boundaries at Work:

1. Know yourself. Boundaries are personal so it is important that you start with your own self-work. Are you a people pleaser? Do you struggle to say “no”? Do you have strong feelings about certain aspects of your work? If so, you may want to explore your own feelings and values first. 

2. Work on your communication. A person does not know about your boundaries if you do not communicate them. Identify who needs to know about your boundary and then communicate the specific boundary to them.

3. Keeping things professional at work. You may have friends at work but it is important to keep your professional relationships, well, professional. Work is not your family. There’s an entire TedTalk on this topic.

4. Ask for help. If something is not your expertise or you know there is someone who can do the task better—ask for help. Even better? Delegate tasks when you can.

If you’re working remotely or in a hybrid position…

1. Create a clear schedule. This means having clear work hours that you stick to every week. This is helpful for the people who you may be living with as well as your colleagues.

2. Define your workspace. When work is over, you can switch your mindset to personal time.

Quick Summary

• Rules vs. Boundaries: Rules are things you set for others. Boundaries are things you set for yourself.

• 3 types of boundaries: Mental, physical and emotional

• Setting boundaries at work may include knowing yourself, working on your communication, keeping things professional, and asking for help.

How are you setting boundaries at work and in life?

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Until next time,

Your favorite Chief Diversity Officer,
Dr. B.