Tag Archives: Office Boundaries

Jul26

How Having Healthy Boundaries Can Help You Become A Happy Team Player

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How Having Healthy Boundaries Can Help You Become A Happy Team Player

In last week’s article, we ended with a tip about setting boundaries in order to get your most productive work done. We all know how important it is to have healthy boundaries – with yourself and in your relationship with others. Having boundaries is a way to weed out the unimportant and focus on the things that matter to you and that make you feel good.

Just like with personal relationships, work relationships also need healthy boundaries. Otherwise, you might end up resentful, burnt out, or highly unsatisfied at work. Most people have a hard time establishing healthy boundaries because they don’t want to seem like they aren’t a team player or just plain difficult to work with. But we should all remember that having healthy boundaries makes us productive, more willing to help, and easier to collaborate with.

Here are some examples of boundaries that we must set at work to make you happier:

Physical Boundaries
These are boundaries that make you physically comfortable. You must be able to move freely within your own space and at the same time, have the same respect for other people’s spaces. It’s not always a case of physical aggression, instances like not respecting your need to take a break, eat, or get some fresh air are also pushing your boundaries.

Emotional And Intellectual Boundaries
Create a healthy space between your personal and professional life. Watch your reaction to issues that are being aired out by co-workers. You don’t always have to agree on social issues or other things outside of work. Keep your romantic relationships private.

Time Boundaries
We all have struggled with time management. Understand that other people have issues with this too. Learn to say no when you have enough on your plate. You will not have the bandwidth to help or take care of other people’s problems – you are not even required to. If you can’t say no outright for fear of being judged as rude or uncooperative, you should at least say “I don’t have the time or bandwidth for that right now.” You are not required to respond to messages that are beyond your work hours or were sent at unreasonable times. Sure, globalization has us all working in different time zones. Whoever sent you that email at 1 am must be working in a different time zone and would not expect an answer until you get back to the office. Make it clear that you can only be reached outside of work hours in emergencies and that you will respond during the appropriate time.

It is easier to help people understand if you discuss your boundaries ahead of time, like when you join a new team or before heading out on a vacation. There will be instances when your boundaries are crossed. Restate your boundaries and don’t take it personally. People sometimes forget.

What are your work stories about setting boundaries? Got any tips? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Jun10

How to Stop Being a Workplace Doormat

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How to Stop Being a Workplace Doormat

Imagine you are sitting at your desk, hard at work on today’s reports and daily tasks, trying to finish your self-imposed work deadlines by the end of the working day. A colleague saunters on to your desk and “cheerfully” asks you to “help” do something that isn’t on your task list or even remotely your priority. In fact, this is something that your colleague has to be doing themselves, but for some reason, they need your expertise, and they need it now.

When you work at an office, there will always be interruptions, it’s just inevitable. Most of the time, we don’t mind being interrupted and gladly welcome a quick break. If it’s just a small favor and an easy one, I’m sure most people won’t mind helping out a colleague. However, if you’re working as an assistant some people will see you as a shared resource and would capitalize on the fact that you have access to any and all resources in the office. Some are even annoyingly in your face, asking you to simply do the work that they should be doing themselves. How do you deal with colleagues who think you are their assistant when you’re just clearly not?

Stop helping them:
You are reinforcing bad (and very lazy) behavior by trying to “help them out.” Clearly one of you is relying heavily on the other to do their job. If they keep asking you for help, remember that NO is a full sentence. Don’t promise to help them, out some other time.

Here are a few helpful and tactful answers you can use for “can you help me with this?”
• Sorry but I am busy with tasks for (executive/client/customer/boss) and I won’t be able to handle your request.
• What are the things you have tried so far?
• I am on a tight deadline and won’t be free to work with you on that anytime soon.
• I can’t help with that right now.
• Can you ask (suggest the name of the expert)? I’m sure they’d be happy to help you.
• Sorry but I’m working on a priority project and need to focus on this for the next few (days/weeks/months).

Set expectations:
Make sure it is clear that you are an Executive Assistant or an assistant to this and that client, and not a general office assistant – which means that you are not there to serve them with work that they are paid to do by themselves. You answer to one person and are there to assist this person strategically. If you spend your time, shuffling between your immediate task and trying to help others finish theirs, you are not maximizing valuable time helping your boss or client become more successful. You are also doing your colleagues a disservice by not letting them learn new skills on their own. Your refusal to do their work is a teaching opportunity, not a selfish move.

Seek a meeting with your executive, boss or client:
Sometimes we are too careful to come across as snarky – and we’re careful about our image at the office. Nobody wants to be portrayed as the bad guy. If you can’t confront your colleagues or have a hard time saying no, you can enlist the help of your executive, boss, or client. Explain that your colleagues or that the team is going to you as a resource person for their individual projects and task and that “helping them out” is taking a lot of your time that would have otherwise been spent working on your priority projects. Check with your boss if they agreed that this is an okay practice. In most cases, your boss would have no idea that this is happening – this will give you more leverage to push back. If a colleague gets pushy, you can refer them back to your boss.

It’s time to set clear boundaries so that you get to do what you love and not live your life pleasing others. What is your go-to pushback line? Share them with us in the comments. Stay humble, hustle hard.

Written by Jaie O. The Help