Why good workplace boundaries should always lead from the top

The best HR leaders lead from the front and role model what they expect of their team, writes Michelle Gibbings.

In the busyness of the working day and back-to-back meetings, leaders can become one step removed from decisions and expect ways of working from team members that the leader doesn’t display.

Leading from the front can’t be done from the comfort of the leader’s corner office (or even open-plan desk); it requires connection with employees so they understand the challenges and opportunities their team faces.

It involves the leader actively leading changes by being one of the first to immerse themselves in new ways of working. Setting healthy and adaptive workplace boundaries for how and when people work is a perfect example.

Set the standard

The leader’s actions, not their words, set the standard for what is accepted and expected regarding workplace boundaries. Leaders need to set two types of boundaries: those they establish with themselves and those they establish with their boss, team, and work colleagues. Leaders should discuss and agree on boundaries with their team members. For example, discuss how the team will handle calls and emails when situations are urgent and decide on how the team will best work together and support each other.

They will also want to establish guidelines for when they are working and when they are taking time off. While leaders may face an occasional adjustment, if they constantly shift their boundaries and are inconsistent, it sends a message that boundaries don’t matter. Setting this pattern of behaviour can make it harder for their team to feel like they can switch off and disconnect from work.

Promote the benefits

The benefits of boundaries and balance are clear. Economist John Pencavel from Stanford University found that productivity declines when people work more than 50 hours each week. Even worse, working 70 hours or more a week causes the person to get the same amount of work done as people who work 55 hours. His research highlights the impact of employee fatigue and stress on productivity and the probability of errors, accidents, and sickness.

In contrast, research revealed that having perceived job flexibility enhances employee’s work/life balance because it provides more control over their work schedule. Leaders should set clear goals, responsibilities, and ways of working with their team and ensure their expectations about workload and deadlines are realistic.

As part of this, leaders should be encouraged to balance the pressure in their working day and be ready to spot the warning signs of struggle for their team members. These signs may include feeling ineffective and more cynical, having reduced energy, motivation, and efficiency, and being more frustrated and irritable. Noticing is only possible when leaders spend genuine and quality time with their team and role model the right behaviours.

Plan time away

Long weekends or mini breaks are fabulous. However, longer breaks (beyond a week) are much better at providing time to rest, recharge and reflect. Leaders set an example when they take regular holidays. Successfully taking a break from work requires skilful planning. Too many leaders go on a holiday, and their laptops and work go with them.

Adopting this “always-on” mentality isn’t good for the leader’s mental health and wellbeing or for the team’s morale. In advance, the leader will want to consider how they step away from work, who they delegate responsibility and decision-making to, and when to escalate issues to them. Delegating to team members demonstrates the leader trusts the team and is also a fabulous opportunity for a team member to step up and show what they can do.

Go for progress

Stepping out and leading from the front takes self-awareness; however, when leaders do that, it elevates the team’s culture, and progress is faster.

In the words of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

Michelle Gibbings is an author and workplace expert.