How to create healthy work-life boundaries (without getting offside with your boss)
Research shows putting work-life boundaries in place creates a buffer against work-related stress. But how do you establish them without overstepping the mark?
If you feel like your work life has encroached on your home life more and more since the pandemic made working from home (WFH) a “thing”, you’re not alone.
A new study confirms that managers contacting remote employees out of hours is causing extra job stress.
Study researcher Professor Mayowa Babalola says that while the pandemic sold the illusion of freedom in working from home with flexible hours, study results reveal the opposite.
“Borderless workplaces are giving managers 24/7 access to employees where constant connectivity with managers is an expectation rather than an option,” Prof Babalola, of RMIT University, says.
“We found many are realising that the constant ping of Teams and late-night emails are bringing work stress and depressive symptoms into their personal lives.”
Why work-life boundaries matter
“With more people working from home and more flexible hours, employers and employees need to introduce mechanisms and boundaries to cope with the intrusion of work into their home domains,” Prof Babalola says.
The results of a 2020 study back this idea up, finding that workers who have greater “boundary control” over their work and personal lives are better at creating a stress buffer that helps protect them from a cycle of negative thinking, and low mood.
“While working from home and flexible work hours can have many benefits, a line needs to be drawn so we can completely switch off from the stresses of work, and recharge,” Prof Babalola says.
How to put work-life boundaries in place
According to the US-based researchers behind the 2020 study, simple boundary tactics such as keeping working email alerts and smartphones turned off make a good place to start.
But human resources consultant and Soul Alive app founder Luke McLeod recommends taking a more active rather than passive approach to establishing work-life boundaries.
“Setting up your own boundaries will only give you some short-term relief because if your boss has a different set of expectations, there’s bound to be some type of misunderstanding or even conflict at some point,” Luke says.
To put effective work-life boundaries in place, communication is key.
“If your boss does expect you to be ‘on’ all the time and you’re genuinely not able to take advantage of the WFH situation, then you should absolutely speak up,” Luke says.
How to do that without making your boss cranky?
“The key here is getting clear on what your intention is,” Luke says.
“If you’re going into the conversation with a ‘battle mindset’ – as in, ‘I need to win here’ – that very rarely works.”
But, he says, if your approach is more along the lines of genuinely wanting to share how an incident or ongoing expectation is affecting you, it’s much more likely it will lead to a more open and understanding response from your manager.
“Plus, if this is your intention, all of your non-verbal cues – which are really doing the communicating – will reflect that you’re being genuine and want to work something out.”
More on WFH, and how to manage your boss:
- What the ideal WFH space looks like
- How to draw the line between home and work
- 5 types of bad bosses and how to handle them
- Is your boss making you sick? Here’s what to do
Written by Karen Fittall.
