4 Great Tactics When Your Boss Has No Professional Boundaries
Has your manager ever sent you a Slack on Saturday morning with a query (that could absolutely wait until Monday), or asked you to join a call while on holidays? Perhaps they’ve encouraged you to stay late working on a presentation, or asked you to cancel a planned––and approved trip––or maybe they’ve subtly hinted that you should work through lunch to hit your deadline.
If you’ve answered yes to any of the above, you might be dealing with a boss who is lacking in professional boundaries.
A lot of the time, bosses who lack clear boundaries often encroach on employees’ free time by asking them to perform tasks outside of their remit and designated working hours. However, those boundaries can vary from person to person, so it is important to establish what you find acceptable––and what is a no-no.
While one employee might be happy to talk about their family or relationships over work drinks, to someone else this might seem like an overreach. “Office banter” is fun for some, but for others it could be seen as a microaggression. Each individual will have their own set of professional boundaries that managers need to respect, and doing so is in the company’s best interest.
A survey of 2,100 UK employees, conducted by Visier, found that 43% of workers have left a job at some point in their career because of their manager.
The poll also found that more than half (53%) of those considering leaving their jobs say that they were looking to change roles because of their manager.
But what should you do when your manager crosses your boundaries?
- Decide what matters most
Before you decide to talk to your boss, take a moment to consider what matters to you most, and what situations have compromised your happiness at work. If spending time with your family in the evening is your number one priority, but work keeps getting in the way, then that is the number one concern that you need to bring to their attention.
- Stand your ground
Sometimes, if you want your boss to respect your boundaries then you need to do something that many of us find hard to do; say no. You can do this in a calm and respectful way. Explain in clear terms why you can’t take a call after 6pm, or why you can’t take on a new project because you are at capacity.
- Pick your moment
It might sound daunting, but if you want to redefine and enforce your own boundaries then you need to have a conversation with your boss. Take your manager’s communication style into account. For example, if your manager doesn’t appreciate people who beat about the bush, then it’s best to be direct.
- If you have to, leave
If you’ve established your values, practiced saying no, and had a discussion with your boss and things haven’t changed, then it might be time to leave. This is never an easy decision, but ultimately a workplace without boundaries is a bad place to be.
If you’re at that point, the three jobs below are well worth a look, and there are thousands more open roles to discover on the City PM Job Board.
Principal Content Design Manager, Skyscanner, London
Skyscanner, a well-known metasearch engine and travel agency, is used by 100 million people per month. The company is headquartered in Edinburgh, with the Principal Content Design Manager is based in London. You will be responsible for bringing a high-quality and sophisticated understanding of content design to the wider team, as well as managing mid-level teammates and acting as a leader. You’ll need to have a strong portfolio, excellent experience and skills in content design/UX writing, and enjoy demystifying complex jargon, processes, and language into something everyone can understand. Read through the entire job spec here.
Credit Model Validation Analyst, Monzo, London
Monzo, one of the fastest-growing online banks in the UK, used by over five million customers, is seeking a Credit Model Validation Analyst. You will join the credit risk team which provides support to other teams and helps the bank grow safely. You will help ensure the models used are not only good for Monzo but also customers. Required skills include experience in decision science, in-depth knowledge of statistical techniques for management of credit risk, and a strong understanding of estimation and measurement. Get more information now.
Senior Software Engineer, Checkout.com, London
Checkout.com is billed as one of the most exciting fintechs in the world, and its mission is to enable businesses and their communities to thrive in the digital economy. It does this by acting as a strategic payments partner for some of the best known brands globally such as Wise, Hut Group, and Sony Electronics. The team is searching for a Senior Software Engineer who will work on the specification, design, coding, testing and deployment of various solutions using .NET Core and other technologies. To apply, you should be passionate, and live and breathe Agile, firmly believing in creating clean, testable code. You will also need excellent practical knowledge of OOP concepts and SOLID principles, solid AWS experience, and understanding of HTTP and RESTful design. Read more about the role here.
Apply for all of these jobs and many more on the City PM Job Board today