Boundaries in the Workplace

Boundaries in the workplace are essential for maintaining a healthy work environment and promoting productivity, collaboration, and respect among colleagues. According to Pillemer and Rothbard (2018), there are conflicts between creating an environment of inclusion and running a business with formal roles and expectations. Some key aspects of workplace boundaries include personal space, work-life balance, communication, respect for diversity, tasks delegation and responsibility, confidentiality, feedback/criticism, physical boundaries, and emotional/psychological boundaries. Friendships/relationships at work tend to blur the boundaries within a workplace. As explored by Eddleston and Mulki (2017), virtual workplaces add to this blur as they have made boundaries more difficult in that they strip the workforce of being a neutral place.

This session will assist participants in identifying the risks associated with not setting boundaries in the workplace and provide a template for how to develop effective boundaries. Furthermore, the presenter will discuss what to do when workplace boundaries are challenged and how to effectively manage these challenges.