As many workplaces continue to try to coax people back into offices, and employees continue to resist, it seems like it’s worth having a serious chat about boundaries.
In 2021 alone, four million people quit their jobs. Every. Single. Month! And that trend has continued. In March 2022, 6.4 million people did the same. If quitting isn’t the ultimate expression of a boundary, then I don’t know what is. It’s a hard line that says: No more. We’re done. Thanks, but no thanks. You have to wonder, though, what might have happened had their workplaces embraced discussing and setting reasonable boundaries that support healthier, happier people: fair pay, more balance, work from home instead of a soul-sucking commute, no email expectation in off hours. Maybe we wouldn’t be dealing with the Great Resignation (just saying).
It’s not too late. If you’re a CEO or in a position of leadership, model your own boundaries for everyone and give them explicit permission to do the same. At CoderPad, I give everyone access to a “Working With Amanda” manual. It’s not long – 10 bullets or so – but it is the “user guide” to working with me.