Boundaries at work

What It Means

Boundaries at work are the limits you set and tell others about: when you can be reached, how much work you can take on, and what falls outside your role. A boundary works when it's said clearly and kept, which usually means pairing the limit with an alternative, such as when you can help instead. Being able to switch off after work is one reason boundaries matter, since research links that kind of detachment with better mental wellbeing.

How People Say It at Work

• "I don't check email after seven."
• "I can do that, but something else has to give."
• "Mornings are my heads-down time."

The Breakdown

How to set a boundary at work (Buhata's suggestion)

1. Name the limit in one sentence, such as "no work messages after 7 p.m." or "no meetings before 11 a.m."
2. Check what your job really expects, from your contract, the written policy or a direct question to your manager.
3. Say it early and plainly, with an alternative: when you will answer, or which task should move.
4. Make it visible, for example with working hours on your calendar or a status message.
5. Keep it. Answering after hours "just this once" teaches people that the limit doesn't hold.
6. Decide ahead of time what counts as a real exception, and revisit the limit if your role changes.

Try it today. Write your one most important limit as a single sentence, then add the alternative you'll offer when someone runs into it.

Common boundaries at work

• Hours: when you start, stop and answer messages.
• Workload: how many projects you can run at once.
• Focus: time blocked for work that needs concentration.
• Role: tasks that belong to someone else.
• Personal: topics or behavior you won't accept.

Good to Know

Managers set much of the tone. Harvard Business Review's "Your Late-Night Emails Are Hurting Your Team" notes that when a boss sends email late or on weekends, many employees take it that a quick reply is expected, so it helps to ask your manager to say plainly what's urgent and what can wait. If you're paid hourly and covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Department of Labor counts time you're suffered or permitted to work as hours worked, so ask how after-hours messages are recorded and paid.

Related Terms and Categories

• Work-life balance

  How your time and energy divide between paid work and the rest of your life, such as family, rest, health and interests.

• Right to disconnect

  A legal right for employees to ignore work contact outside working hours, or a rule that employers set limits on it, depending on the country.

• Managing up

  Working deliberately with your boss to get the best results for both of you and the organization, by understanding how they work and what they need.

Work, career and remote life