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Let's talk about boundaries.
How do you set and enforce them? I have clients that think it is okay to call or text in the evenings and on weekends, and while that is okay occasionally and in special circumstances, one client in particular is becoming a pain. How do you handle encroachment into non-work time?
Thank you for all of these suggestions. I'm glad so many people were willing to provide input and to talk about how they do things.
It's difficult for me to set boundaries at work as I'm the only person who can do what I do. Regardless, my company is very respectful of my personal time. If I'm contacted "off hours" or when I'm on vacation, I know it's important and will respond.
However, the same isn't true for my role as president of my condo building. Unfortunately, I was given no proper training so I didn't know what to expect for the role. As it turns out, most presidents in the association share my concern. In our master board meetings we've now requested formal written directions for the residents on the roles of all board members!
turn your phone off unless its an emergency
Actions speak. Tell them after x hour each day, leave a VM and you'll promptly answer the next business day
Do you have 2 seperate lines? If so, then you can turn off one during off hours.
If all you have is one line, then you need to ignore anything that's comes in outside of business hours. If the client doesn't seem to get the boundaries, then you need to remind him or her of the business hours and stick to them.
I ignore the request at the inappropriate time and then respond during normal business hours. People are usually fine with it but if I not, I have a difficult conversation about boundaries.
You have to set that boundary and stick to it.
If you never had the upfront conversation about your hrs of availability, then by you answering your phone or text gave them permission to reach out to you. If you already gave them information about your availability then why are you answering your phone at all outside your work hrs you already communicated to them. That’s a you issue you need to work out and hold yourself accountable to.
A trainable trick is to change your voicemail to state ….sorry I could not answer the phone right now, I am typically available on Monday thru Friday 9am to 5pm. If you are contacting me outside that window, I will be sure to follow up with you during those office hrs.
a repeat offender will hear that enough times. And when you stop responding, they will get the picture to only reach you during your actual work hrs
How do I set boundaries?
I talk about my work boundaries during client onboarding or interview process.
If I have clients that need a consulting/contractor contract, I add my working time and communication processes to my contract with them.
How do I enforce them?
I give people grace. Even if I've had a discussion about the fact that I don't answer text messages in the evening or weekends, and a client texts me, I'll respond with a polite "I'll talk to you tomorrow' or similar. If the issue is an emergency, then I'll move forward.
If the client continues to text me after hours, I no longer respond with "I'll talk to you tomorrow", I just respond to them during work hours.
Texting is an asynchronous form of conversation, and just because you text me doesn't mean that I have to respond right now.
If the client calls after hours, I'd program my cell phone to "sleep" after hours and to only accept calls from certain people.
I do not use my personal phone for work. No calls, texts, or email. I let everyone know my hours and that's when they can contact me. When I'm done with my day and it's time to clock out, I shut down my computer. I use to let people call or text me, huge mistake, which is why I put a stop to it.
Preface: I'm sure that there are some industries that need more on-demand availability, mine is not one.
I subscribe to "you teach people how to treat you."
For example, I have a colleague who is senior to me and goes through her email in the evenings, so I get all kinds of emails during time that I'm not online asking for things. I sometimes see them on my phone, but I don't reply until I'm truly online; she doesn't expect a reply from me until morning. If I begin replying in the evenings, it begins an expectation that she'll get something from me. She and I have since had a conversation where she was clear that that's her email routine, and I was clear that it is not mine. It has worked out well. I have email notifications turned off on my personal phone which helps with the boundaries, and for awhile, on weekends, signed out of my work email/chat apps.
The texting and calling...I'd look into a number that's dedicated to your work so that you can more easily compartmentalize these, but it may be sitting on them until you're back online, or a quick reply that you see their message and you'll be able to give it full attention in the morning/Monday. If you have the opportunity when onboarding new clients, I would be clear about availability and your desire to best serve their needs; and this is best done when you have time away from the work to recharge.
These things can be hard at first, but, be consistent and recognize the value that you and your client are receiving from your down time.