Social media. Instant messaging. Emails. Video calls. Phone calls (remember them?). In today’s hybrid working world, it can feel like there are so many ways to communicate with colleagues that there’s no time to actually do your charity communications job. This, along with other challenges that make you feel overwhelmed in your role, can negatively affect your work and mental health.
So, how can you create space for yourself at work and manage relationships when they feel tricky?
Think about boundaries
A boundary is a limit you can set on what is acceptable and what isn’t. At work, this includes limits on behaviour, actions and responsibilities. Your boundaries let colleagues know what they can expect from you. They’re about what you do, rather than managing how other people behave.
In the past, we may have been made to feel our boundaries aren’t important. As a result, we may not be that confident about setting boundaries. Perhaps we don’t want to come across as being difficult or risk feeling disliked. But boundaries are necessary – they protect you from hurt, stress and burnout. They make relationships healthier. And good charity communications come from good relationships.
Define your workplace boundaries and what you need
Do you often say “yes” when you mean “no”? Feel close to burnout because you want to please colleagues? Or stay quiet to avoid conflict?
Then defining what your boundaries around work are may be useful. This includes boundaries around relationships.
Identify when you find relationships tricky and think about what you need to do to manage them. For example, you might notice that you feel defensive when you get feedback from a specific person. So perhaps you could have a face-to-face feedback meeting if that feels more comfortable.
Or maybe you notice your frustration when a particular colleague contacts you using various channels with the same query. Could you agree on one main communication channel with that person?
If you need some support around identifying what boundaries you might need to put in place at work, try answering the questions in the Mind Wellness Action Plan relevant to your role.
Defining boundaries requires having some awareness around your feelings. For example, you will need to notice your anxiety when there is office gossip to realise that your boundary is not to get involved in it.
Put your boundaries in place
It can feel easier to communicate your boundaries to colleagues if you make it clear that you are taking responsibility for them. For example, say you decide that it will be less stressful to not use instant messaging on Mondays because you have a regular deadline then. Think about when it’s feasible for you to be off instant messaging, or offline, and still be able to carry out the responsibilities of your role. Then, you might tell colleagues in your comms meeting: “Mondays are very busy for me as I have to get the newsletter out. So, from now on, I’ll be turning instant messaging off on Mondays between 9.30 and 2pm.”
Another aspect of this is when boundaries are tested by colleagues from other departments who may challenge your expertise. Say your CEO wants to use some off-brand language in a report when you’ve just agreed on some new tone of voice guidelines. It can be tricky asserting a boundary with someone more senior but frustrating when you don’t. In this case, the tone of voice guidelines have created an agreed boundary so you can refer your CEO to them: “I’m not sure about using XYZ. We agreed in the tone of voice guidelines that we won’t use this language anymore”.
Stick to your boundaries
Your boundaries will be challenged so it’s helpful to pre-empt how you’re going to handle this:
- Write down your main workplace boundaries and refer to them often.
- Communicate the reason for the boundary you have set. “I don’t think I have the right skills for this. Can you check with [name of colleague] who does?”
- Plan ahead to stick to boundaries. For example, take your email app off your phone so you aren’t tempted to check your messages on holiday.
- Practise saying “no”. Keep it brief, polite and clear. For example: “Thank you for asking. I’d really like to help with this project, but I don’t have availability until January.”
- Go with your instincts. If you ignore your feelings, you might end up working with someone you don’t feel comfortable with. If you don’t acknowledge your tendency to want to please, you could end up working late on a Friday night. Tune in to how you feel at work so you can stick to boundaries.
- Be patient. You might need to restate your boundary with a particular colleague. Try to do it calmly, clearly and without apologising. “I don’t work on Fridays but I’ll get back to you on Monday.”
Other useful resources
- A wellbeing guide for comms professionals
- The art of great conversation: active listening and how it can empower others
- Achieving a healthy work-life balance
- Setting boundaries in the workplace
- How to create healthy boundaries for non-profit professionals
Banner Image: engin akyurt on Unsplash
