How to set healthy work boundaries and avoid burnout

It’s undeniable that work can be stressful and the pressure can feel relentless at times. 

The latest data on job burnout from Prof Jarrod Haar provides hard evidence of this with 57% of the New Zealand workforce reporting stress levels that are categorised as ‘burnt-out’.

I believe this level of burnout is totally unacceptable in today’s workplaces so I’m on a mission to empower people to take back control of their work-life balance.  Or even better, aiming for life-work integration – with the emphasis on life first. 

It’s a concept that considers work and life as the same, meaning if you are enjoying both they don’t need to be balanced.  They support one another — as you increase your life’s overall wellbeing, you’ll also be more effective at work.  And the more engaged you are at work, you’ll also improve your overall enjoyment of life and wellbeing.  And with the rise of flexible working these days, integration between the two is a lot more achievable.

Working long hours, wearing the busy badge of honour and this compulsion to working whilst comprising one’s wellbeing has sadly become so entrenched in our societal norms.  I like to live by the mantra “Wellbeing first, work second. Always” whereas for most people it seems to be the other way around!

We do not need to exhaust ourselves in the pursuit of succeeding in our careers.  We all have the ability to reduce the detrimental impact of work on our wellbeing by taking back control and establishing healthy work boundaries.

Spend a minute to answer the following questions…with brutal honesty!

·        Have you felt the need to work beyond your contracted hours in the last month?

·        Do you feel like you don’t have enough energy and need more sleep?

·        Do you miss out on social or family events due to work?

·        Do you prioritise work demands over your personal life?

·        Do you go the extra mile staying late or taking on extra projects?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions it’s a clear sign that you don’t have healthy work boundaries.

What are boundaries?

Boundaries are rules or guidelines to set clear lines between our professional and personal lives and they outline your physical, emotional, and mental limits to protect yourself from over-committing or burning out.  Boundaries help safeguard our time, our energy and how fulfilled we feel at work and home.

However for boundaries to be successful, they work best when you discuss and share them with your manager, colleagues and customers.  It’s your responsibility to be clear on what your boundaries are and follow through consistently, otherwise you run the risk of people walking all over them.

And in case you need reminding, employers have a legal obligation to provide a mentally healthy workplace too.  Long work hours and unreasonable workloads are common psychosocial hazards that workplaces are responsible for mitigating or reducing.

Why do we need boundaries?

The following concept comes from Brian Dyson’s commencement speech at Georgia Tech in September 1991 – a few decades ago now but the concept is timeless. 

Brian gets the audience (you) to imagine life as a game in which you are juggling four balls in the air.  You name them work, family, health and friends.  You’re trying your best to keep all four of these balls in the air. 

You soon realise that work is a rubber ball – if you drop it, it will bounce back.  But the other three balls – family, health and friends — are made of glass.  If you drop one of these, they will be damaged or even shattered. 

This is such a realistic example of why establishing healthy work boundaries are so important during this one precious life.  As individuals, they’re beneficial as they help us to do our very best, maintain our job satisfaction, lower work-related stress, reduce our risk of burnout and help us get necessary rest and recovery time to maintain our energy levels.  But boundaries also help a workplace to improve performance, productivity and the customer experience.

Here are my top five tips on establishing healthy work boundaries and putting your wellbeing first, work second…

1.       Find a job you love!

A job has the potential for so much more than just a pay check so if you don’t like your current job do something about it!  Don’t be afraid to raise issues you’re unhappy with or put your hand up for development opportunities – if you don’t ask, you don’t get!  Spend time identifying your core values and drivers.  Write a motivating development plan and seek a mentor to help you achieve your career goals. 

2.      Protect your time

You only get paid 40 hours (or what your agreement states) so why work more for free?  Yes there will be days or weeks where we might have to work longer to meet a deadline but this shouldn’t be the norm.  Agree upon your work schedule with your manager that puts your non-negotiables first, communicate these hours with your team and customers and then it’s up to you to stick to it.

3.      Make technology work for you

According to Cal Newport, Author of Deep Work and Slow Productivity, the biggest time waster and productivity killer is “switching your attention – even if only for a minute or two – can significantly impede your cognitive function for a long time to follow.”  To avoid this risk we need to get good at managing distractions from all of the communications that come our way in a working day.  This might mean scheduling time to focus on deep work or batching emails, silencing your phone and working offline and removing work emails and apps from your personal devices.

4.     Create some mental space

It’s alarming how many people don’t have a lunch break, feel guilty for taking a sick day and don’t use their allocated annual leave entitlement each year.  Like Olympians, corporate athletes also need to rest and recover.  Spend time each day or week planning your priorities in advance, allocate a daily lunch break, proactively schedule regular time off and when you are on leave turn on your OOO and give yourself permission to be 100% offline and contactable for emergencies only.

5.      Put your wellbeing first

Thinking about the concept of Life-Work Integration described earlier, consider how you can weave wellbeing practices into your day.  Book out time for a pre, during or post work exercise session.  Create a habit of standing in every meeting and incorporate a “fake commute” if you work at home.  And save your money by packing a delicious and nutritious lunch and stay hydrated with water and go easy on caffeine!

What’s the one thing you’re going to do to put your wellbeing first, work second?