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Work Boundaries: Week 2 of a 4WeekSurvivalGuide
15 November 2020
Lots of cities are in or heading towards a lock down. It is hard for everyone. What if this time is not just another lock down? What if this is an opportunity to level up your well-being and better manage your work/life balance? Follow this 4 week series of posts to take advantage of this time and come out of the quarantine a better, happier you.
Quarantine Effects
- Bereavement
- Isolation
- Loss of income
- Fear
- Increased levels of alcohol
and drug use - Insomnia
- Anxiety
- People with pre-existing mental, neurological or substance use disorders are also more vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2
Week 2 - Work Boundaries
The second week is dedicated to Work Boundaries. You are not a cable car, you have to resist people-pleasing and fight off all those who decide to hop on and off your back.
PEOPLE PLEASING
You want to be liked be everyone. You want in your absence, every person you meet to have a good thing to say for you. To achieve that you say YES to every request that comes at your door.
Yes to constant unpaid overtime
Yes to being yelled at by an angry manager
Yes to inappropriate comments about your body and/or your looks
Yes to picking up colleagues work
Yes to checking and replying your work emails at 10pm, long after your shift has ended.
SAY NO
If you are new to a role, to the market or you just got promoted, it is only natural to have an extra motive to shine. That is perfectly human and understandable. Enslaving yourself isn’t.
You got hired in your position because you are qualified to do so. Chances are most of your who are reading this post are overqualified even.
Work-wise, we are all expendable. There are millions of great doctors, lawyers, butchers and cleaners on the planet. Maybe we have less Queens & Presidents of States, yet they are still expendable. You, me, the person next to you, the lady in the mini market, we all have one unique selling point we bring everyday into our work: there is only one of each. There is only one Harry who has my experience, my personal attributes and walks and talks like I do. Even if you started today to analyse me, learn everything I know and mimic me, you would still not be able to be me as I would always me ahead of you.
A BUTTERFLY THAT IS ENOUGH
You are not only a unique butterfly. You are also enough as you are. You are worthy and capable within your given work frame. I know that because no one would pay you good money to hire you in the first place and keep paying you.
You have your job because you deserve it and you are qualified to do it, not because you say always YES. What you get from people-pleasing is
- exhaustion
- low self esteem
- disrespect
- run over by colleagues
SAY NO IN MANY LEVELS
Level 1
No to hurting or inappropriately touching me.
No stealing from me.
No shouting or use abusive language around me.
Level 2
No to entering my personal space.
No to bullying.
No speaking over me.
No to humiliating me.
No disrespecting me.
No to wasting my time.
No to being selfish with me.
No to ignoring me and my needs.
Level 3
No to overtime for no reason or reward.
No to being payed less.
No to being available for work all hours.
No to working without rules & structure.
and finally
No disrespecting yourself!
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