Nothing Personal, It’s Just Business—Normalizing Boundary-Setting in the Workplace
With awareness and concerted effort, both individuals and organizations can work together to normalize boundary-setting and foster greater work/life harmony.
In the often elusive quest for work-life harmony, boundaries can serve as our true north, keeping us on a path toward well-being and professional fulfillment that is often difficult to achieve. Yet, despite their undeniable importance, setting and holding boundaries in the workplace can be a daunting task. From internalized beliefs to organizational culture, various factors can hinder our ability to establish and maintain healthy boundaries. However, with awareness and intentional effort, individuals and organizations can work together to normalize boundary-setting in the workplace and create a healthier, more sustainable work environment.
What Gets in the Way
In many workplaces, there exists a pervasive culture of overwork and burnout, where long hours and constant availability are celebrated as signs of dedication. Decades of expecting people to go above and beyond has not only created unrealistic expectations and conditions that are ripe for burnout, but it’s led to a belief that by asserting our boundaries we’ll be seen as incompetent or dispensable.
Terminology like “quiet quitting,” which was coined in 2009 but gained prominence in the aftermath of COVID is problematic because it confirms the belief many of us carry that saying no to additional tasks or setting limits on availability will result in negative repercussions or judgment from colleagues or superiors. Couple this with societal beliefs that tie worthiness to productivity and perfectionism often undermine our ability to set and hold boundaries in the workplace and perpetuate the belief that asserting our boundaries is selfish or unprofessional.
In addition, a lack of visible examples of boundary-setting by leaders in the workplace perpetuates the belief that such behavior is uncommon or unwelcome and often leaves staff struggling to recognize the importance and efficacy of this practice. These cultural norms and expectations, taken together with our own shaping stories about boundaries can lead us to feel guilty or ashamed for setting boundaries around our time and energy.
But here’s the thing we don’t hear nearly enough: your boundaries need no justification.
Strategies for Normalizing Boundary-Setting in the Workplace
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to dear HUMANitarian to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.