Examples of Professional Boundaries and Why They Matter

Work is a good thing, even though it can be hard or feel unrewarding at times. A person’s work can provide a sense of meaning and an outlet for their creative gifts, and it allows them to provide for themselves and their family. However, work can take over one’s life and transgress professional boundaries, occupying more space than it should. This can have detrimental effects on a person’s health as well as their relationships.

Having a decent work-life balance helps to minimize the negative effects of work taking over one’s life. Maintaining that balance requires reliable professional boundaries.

Understanding boundaries

A physical boundary is a line of some kind that tells you where one thing ends, and another begins. A boundary could be the walls of your apartment which distinguishes your space from your neighbor’s space. If you have a parking space at work, the boundary that marks your spot out is usually a set of lines and an inscription that indicates what you have exclusive access to.

In our relationships, we won’t often have physical lines that work the same way, but that doesn’t mean boundaries don’t exist or that they don’t matter. When it comes to how we relate to others, boundaries are, according to the American Psychological Association, “a psychological demarcation that protects the integrity of an individual or group or that helps the person or group set realistic limits on participation in a relationship or activity.”

A boundary says, in effect, “This is me, and this is you.” We are all made uniquely in God’s image, with our opinions, values, abilities, personalities, tolerances, loves, pet peeves, and everything that makes us who we are. These are what distinguish us from the next person. Your boundaries protect your integrity, and they guide others in how to interact with you based on who you are and what your needs are.

Boundaries are essential for healthy relationships with other people because they create room for others to interact with you in ways that honor your individuality. They create room for your needs to be respected and met. This applies to how you relate to others in the workplace, and it also has a bearing on how you interact with your work.

Some examples of professional boundaries

Putting some examples of professional boundaries forward might help to clarify what they could look like in your own life. There was a trend that emerged around the time of the pandemic, and it was called quiet quitting. It sounds like it describes people leaving their jobs without making a fuss or without telling anyone, but it actually describes a practice of placing limits on the work one does.

When you sign your contract and begin your employment, typically there are hours of work stipulated. However, for a variety of reasons, managers, employers, and sometimes employees themselves don’t stick to these hours, and the result is working for prolonged periods without rest and extra pay. Part of quiet quitting was people refusing to work beyond the stipulated work hours.

Professional boundaries can thus relate to you only doing work during work hours, and not responding to emails or texts once you’ve left your workplace for the day. Your boundaries may be about taking your vacation days and sick days when they are due so that you can recuperate and attend to your well-being.

Additionally, professional boundaries can also relate to your own conduct when you’re at work. They could include focusing on work and cutting down on non-work-related conversations during office hours, or not taking extended breaks you’re not entitled to. You could also have work boundaries about dating your coworkers, or not engaging in personal discussions about your life or relationships with your coworkers.

Why professional boundaries matter

Paul wrote, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23-24, NIV) Your work has value in itself, whatever it happens to be because it is in service of the Lord Jesus. Professional boundaries can help to keep you accountable.

Professional boundaries also help you to stay on task, and to perform to the best of your ability while ensuring that you’re also resting and not making an idol out of your work. It’s easy to get consumed by your work and to find your identity in your work. This is risky because you can lose your job, or become disillusioned with it, which could lead to an identity crisis.

Your work matters. Having work boundaries allows you to have a healthy relationship with yourself and others in the workplace. If you find yourself overworking, stressed, or rooting your sense of self in your work, you need to address that before it affects your well-being negatively.

A life coach or counselor can help you learn how to set boundaries and how to cope effectively with the rigors of work life. If this is something you feel you need in your life, do not delay contacting our offices.

At Valencia Christian Counseling, we have counselors who are willing to help you explore the issues that contribute to self-care and boundaries at work. Call today!