How to Set Boundaries as a Supervisor

Between an increasingly complex office dynamic and more social media presence than ever before, the lines between co-worker and friend have never been fuzzier. Whether we’re talking about personally or professionally, creating boundaries with your employees is critical, but there is a nuance that needs to be understood.

How to Set Boundaries as a Supervisor

Setting boundaries, while essential, should be done with an understanding of how your employee’s function best. Some people prefer an austere work environment where there is little “personal” interaction, and where they have extreme autonomy. Others function best with a good personal rapport and lots of support, and herein lies the nuance. Let’s look at ways to identify the most functional ways to set up boundaries that serve you and your employees best.

Identifying Employee Styles

Some employees respond better to boundaries (or the lack of them) than others. During the first few months of employment, you should be learning as much about your employee as they are learning about the job. Figuring out where your employee’s strengths and weaknesses are requires a degree of interaction that fosters a rapport, but you need to exercise caution.

Creative employees will likely function best without many boundaries and with little micromanaging. The primary concern with creatives is that their personal lives might spill over into conversation, which can require some social boundaries. A rapport is good; adding therapist to your job title is not.

Type-A personalities function well under strong boundaries that give them a structure in which to work, but with very little micromanaging. The boundaries you set give them a scaffolding in which to excel and perfect their craft.

Employees who are just starting out will have the most difficulty in understanding lines between work rapport and friendship, and will need the most guidance. Consider how you felt at your first “big” job, or the first day in your current career path and then assume they are even more wide-eyed and overwhelmed.

Setting boundaries is just as much about helping each employee function well as it is avoiding complications from too much fraternizing.

Where to establish boundaries

When you understand your new employees, you can better determine where you’ll need to set boundaries. Some employees avoid bringing their personal lives into the office, while others want work-friends to turn into real life friends. While making friends at work isn’t a bad thing, as a supervisor, you should avoid this if at all possible.

It’s not that you have to be distant or cold, but employees who see you as their outside-of-work buddy will have more difficulty with:

• Maintaining deadlines

• Accepting constructive criticism or employee evaluations

• Taking the possibility of discipline seriously

Additionally, if you establish early on that you’re a person your employee can vent to about home problems, you will never be able to deconstruct that dynamic and at some point, one of you will be resentful.

Model your behavior towards your supervisor in a fashion that shows your subordinates how they should approach you. Keep personal life stuff at home, and avoid one-on-one interaction with your employees outside of work.

Finally, you now know how to set boundaries as a supervisor. Therefore, if you feel like your employee is overstepping any of these boundaries in a way that might negatively impact your office, then you need to say something quickly and clearly. Don’t be ambiguous and don’t worry about hurting feelings – the longer you let something problematic go on, the worse it will be. Setting professional boundaries effectively will help you manage with confidence and allows your employees to excel.