Originally published on havetheaudacity.substack.com
This isn’t rage bait. It’s a wake up call. In today’s 9-5 culture, I think a lot of us feel pressured to go “above and beyond” to show we’re dedicated. This can manifest in habits such as skipping breaks or working late. We tell ourselves these are the qualities of a good employee. But honestly? These habits are a result of lack of boundaries. And refusing to acknowledge and accept this just puts us one step closer to our next burnout episode.
What it Actually Means to be a Good Employee
Let’s talk about what a good employee is. According to this article from Indeed, a good employee possesses these 10 qualities:
- Dedication
- Confidence
- Reliability
- Teamwork
- Independence
- Leadership
- Interpersonal/communication skills
- Self-awareness
- Critical thinking
- Integrity
Nowhere in this article does it say a good employee is one that pushes themself beyond their limit or is the last one to log off for the day. A good employee is someone who does their work effectively and efficiently, is open to new challenges, and can ultimately be trusted. You can do all these things while maintaining boundaries that protect your health and wellness.
Recognizing Habits that Stem from Lack of Boundaries
I’ll be the first to admit that I had a lot of trouble with setting boundaries at work. I had this fear that if I ever messed up or didn’t do enough, my team would think I’m bad at my job. The funny thing is, literally no one ever said I was bad at my job, let alone that I needed to work harder. In fact, the complete opposite was happening. But my internalized fear and low self-esteem wouldn’t allow me to believe otherwise.
So how can we recognize whether a habit we have is because we’re trying to do our job well, or because there’s a lack of boundaries? Well, consider a few thing:
- Are you choosing to keep working beyond your work hours even though all tasks for the day have already been completed?
- Are you choosing to do something because you’re worried about what others will say if you don’t?
- Do you feel intense pressure to do something even though no one actually asked you to do it?
If you said yes to any of these, it’s time to take a closer look at your work habits and be honest with yourself about why you’re choosing them.
Finding Balance Before You Burn Out
Some people are naturally good at maintaining work-life balance.
I am not one of them.
It takes a lot of intentional work to not only find that balance but make yourself believe that you deserve it. If you want to start working towards this, consider trying the following:
- Don’t look at any work emails until you clock in for the day. Let your mornings be for you.
- Take your breaks every single day, even if you work remote.
- Get up and walk away from your work throughout the day, even if only for a few minutes.
- Ask yourself if the habit or extra work you’re doing is actually necessary to the quality of your work.
- Check in with yourself and see how tired you are. If you’ve noticed you're starting to make mistakes or have trouble concentrating, you are doing too much and need to step away, not push through.
- Have a cutoff time for when you no longer touch work or even look at emails.
- Take your PTO and sick time. You earned those hours.
- Regularly tell yourself that you are good at your job.
- Remember that you deserve to make your health and wellness a priority.
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