Boundaries at work: Why they matter and how to set them

The right job can improve your life, yet a job can take over your life. Whether you work from an office, home, or something in between (hybrid work), boundaries at work are essential. Why do boundaries matter? Creating and maintaining a healthy work-life balance helps reduce stress and burnout while allowing you to live a better life. Stress contributes to an array of health problems, while burnout is a type of stress associated with exhaustion, reduced performance, and a sense of losing your identity.

Having work boundaries is key to achieving the right balance in your life. Explore the steps you need to take to create boundaries at work.

Determine boundaries at work early on

Once you start a job, set the tone for an employer’s expectations for you and your role. You may think expectations aren’t up to you; you may believe your employer only determines your job duties. However, you can establish the behaviors and boundaries you are willing to accept in the role.

For example, you may respond to emails at nighttime when you’re home from work, a behavior that will encourage people to count on you to be available outside of work hours. If you instead show from the start that you only answer emails during work hours, you have set a reasonable boundary. Just make sure you stick to these boundaries. The email response offers only one example, so look for other ways to create boundaries.

Communicate

You can set healthy boundaries at work by communicating effectively. Discover the following ways to maintain a better work-life balance by communicating your intentions:

• Let people know you will only respond to work emergencies, which you can specify, outside work hours.
• Set specific boundaries with problematic co-workers who infringe on your work-life balance more than others.
• Do not include apologies within boundary-setting communication.
• Communicate honestly and concisely to convey the meaning effectively.
• Negotiate work duties and discuss any changes to duties to set clear expectations.

Change your mindset

If you’re not good with boundaries or need to go above and beyond to prove yourself, try to shift your perspective. When you attach your self-worth to work, it can be challenging to stop working. You may feel like you always need to go that extra mile and work until you gain recognition to feel good about yourself. This path sets you up for burnout and leads to a constant cycle with a hole in your day-to-day living you can never fill. Instead, strive to see your worth beyond your work.

Ponder questions like:

• What else is unique and significant about me?
• How do other parts of my life matter to me?
• How else can I feel validated beyond my work?

Finding more value in yourself, not just your work, helps you set healthy boundaries and not let people run past them. Also, valuing your professional skills and expertise enables you to know whether others are recognizing them or whether they’re taking advantage of your talents. Then, you can choose a job that fits your skills and an employer that values you, rather than a situation where you always have to prove yourself or work too hard for an insufficient reward.

“Creating and maintaining a healthy work-life balance helps reduce stress and burnout while allowing you to live a better life.”

Understand the importance of boundaries

In addition, aim to understand and accept that boundaries are good, and you should declare them. You may initially feel as though there’s something wrong with setting boundaries but shift that perspective. Boundaries create better health, work-life balance, and work performance because they help you avoid stretching yourself too thin.

Recognize that every time you let more work encroach into your time, you’re taking time away from other areas of life, such as time to restore yourself or time focused on loved ones. Work is not everything, so consider how important it is to spend time on other aspects of life for complete wellness.

Switch jobs if you can’t create defined boundaries at work

In some cases, you may not be able to gain better boundaries in your job or company. You’ll need to determine whether you’re in a workplace that won’t tolerate improved boundaries but will instead expect to infringe on your life at all times.

If that’s the case, think about finding a new job that could change your circumstances. Research company culture and job roles in striving for a new job with better balance. If possible, switching to a different work situation, such as remote, part-time, contractor, or gig work, could be the answer.

As you seek career opportunities, don’t forget to turn to CareerBuilder. CareerBuilder enables you to create a profile to help employers identify qualified candidates like you for open positions. 

Look for support to help delegate tasks

When work has become too much due to a lack of boundaries, you don’t necessarily need to solve the problem alone. Seek support from others, an action that may translate to delegating. Perhaps you are taking on too much work, possibly due to the need to have control over everything. Strive to let go more by entrusting more work to others when necessary or possible. See the skills, expertise, and strengths others have and allow them to shine in those areas rather than trying to take on everything yourself.

You may also need to talk to your supervisor about the problem, especially if you don’t see a way to reduce your workload to create better boundaries. You could talk to your boss about burnout and discuss your duties. See if you are on the same page and if you can let go of or delegate any duties. Determine priorities, which can help you better focus your time.

Nonetheless, remember that people who “quiet quit” don’t tend to talk about their actions with their boss but instead decide to quietly stick to their original job description without doing anything else. Think about which method might work better for you.

The way to improve work-life balance and prevent burnout is to set boundaries at work. These lines in the sand determine how you will do your job and what aspects you can let go of to keep work from taking over your life. Hopefully, these tips will help you set your boundaries, stick to them, or find another job that treats you better. You deserve to enjoy a work-life balance.

More tips for evaluating your career:

Are you looking for more flexible roles? Consider remote job opportunities. 

Are you uncertain whether to stay at your workplace? Find out whether these reasons to leave a job fit your situation. 

Do you need better job boundaries due to anxiety? Consider these lower stress jobs.