I spent the first two years of my undergrad education in The Honors College, a program for “intellectually curious students who attained exceptional achievements in high school.” The classes were fascinating, the discussions were thought-provoking, and the workload was… utterly freaking ridiculous.
And by utterly ridiculous, I mean “It’s Tuesday. Please read the Odyssey by Thursday” ridiculous. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve always loved to read. I’m a quick reader too. However, I worked my way through college, had other classes, had to commute back and forth, and well… needed to sleep and eat.
Not wanting to be looked down upon or labeled as undedicated to my studies, I made it happen. Reading at my register during slow shopping periods, skimming at stop lights, and forgoing sleep for the week – I did it, but at what cost? I was overwhelmed, depressed, doubting my future, and feeling like a failure. Eventually, unable to keep up with the unreasonable workload, I transferred into the main “college” and finished my undergrad without my fancy title.
You might be wondering: What does this have to do with my business?
I’m glad you asked. Think for a moment: Are you expecting too much of your employees? Are you setting unreasonable goals or creating a workload that only a superhero could handle? Do you assume that they have nothing else going on in their lives and can dedicate every waking hour to your business? And do you regularly expect them to work beyond their assigned hours, respond to emails after hours, and be available to answer calls on vacation?
If you are fanning yourself right now and muttering “Why I never!” with a southern drawl, look closer at your leadership style. You may be creating a culture with unhealthy boundaries without even knowing it.
Are you Promoting Unhealthy Boundaries?
Let’s take a look at some of the behaviors that unwittingly glorify unhealthy boundaries:
- Rewarding employees who regularly work long hours. You may think that you are praising hard work and dedication. What you’re really doing is telling the single parent struggling to be present for their children, or the adult child who is responsible for taking care of their elderly parent, that putting in the hours they were hired to do and getting their workload done during that time, isn’t sufficient and will not lead to promotion.
- Contacting employees during off hours. Sure, it’s great to run questions or ideas past someone when it’s fresh in your head, but your excitement is cutting into your employees’ all important down-time. They need this time to destress, clear their heads, and spend time with their loved ones. Emergencies happen, but if you contact employees off the clock on a regular basis, you’re really telling them that their time is not their own.
- Being unclear about job descriptions and responsibilities. Anyone who has ever worked for a small business or nonprofit organization knows that lines get blurred. You hired someone to do the accounting, yet somehow, they are assisting the marketing team, training new employees, and cleaning the breakroom. In your mind, you may value their flexibility and willingness to step up and get things done. In their mind, they may feel that nothing they do is ever good enough and they must continue piling responsibilities on their plate until you finally find them “worthy.”
- Allowing employees to “sort out their own problems.” No, you’re not a school teacher, and your employees aren’t children. However, when you know about a problem between staff members and don’t address it, you are condoning the behavior. If a boundary violation is brought to your attention, sit down with the parties involved and lay out where the boundary is, how it was violated, and what will happen if it occurs again in the future.
- Not modeling healthy boundaries. Sure, you are the boss and that means you work incredibly hard. However, if you show your employees that working late, skipping vacations, forgoing family and personal time, and pouring everything you have into the business is appropriate, you can’t be surprised if they follow suit. In order to cultivate an environment of healthy boundary setting, you must set healthy boundaries yourself.
Conclusion
If you expect too much from your employees, set unreasonable goals, or otherwise fail to create healthy boundaries, their performance will suffer, morale will go into the toilet, and eventually, your employees will jump ship in an effort to preserve their well-being.
Thankfully, this is all avoidable. Start promoting healthy boundaries and get ready for your employees to flourish and your business to soar.
