Sandbox Strategies for the New Workplace by Penny Tremblay

Author:Penny Tremblay
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 2023-03-10T00:00:00+00:00

Setting Healthy Boundaries

Do you know why a sandbox has walls? They’re boundaries to keep the sand contained within, so that everyone can have a safe and healthy environment to play in. We all carry a responsibility and have a role to play in keeping workplaces safe and healthy. Workers who see a health and safety problem have a duty to report the situation to their employer or supervisor, who in turn is required to address the problem. Like the sandbox walls, boundaries are healthy.

I’ll bet that if you ever played with sand and water, you made a castle and moat (a ditch that surrounded it filled with water, intended as a defense against attack). If you’d like to be more powerful, efficient, and effective and protect your integrity, then you’ll need to set boundaries, just like a moat, which will help you feel safe and therefore able to define and communicate your expectations to others.

Max, a client whom I coach, asked me how to deal with a colleague who did not respect a process of safely maintaining equipment. I suggested that Max set firm boundaries with his colleague about the process in place to maintain the equipment. I also advised Max to schedule a brief meeting to reinforce the process and explain why it was critical to the roles, goals, and mission of the team, and to ask his colleague for any input or feedback that could enhance the process.

“Once your process is established, don’t bend with the results,” I said. “People need to feel your expectations and boundaries by your consequences. If you’re wishy-washy with your own boundaries, others will be as well. Be firm and fair.”

Max returned to his workplace, set his boundaries in his own mind, respectfully communicated them to his colleagues, and asked for input and compliance. The employees did what was expected of them, and the organization’s boundary held up long into the future.

Problems arise when leaders are loose. Don’t forget: We’re all leaders. A team’s performance can get sloppy when its members stop taking full responsibility for their tasks, and when there are no consequences. Boundaries are like consequences. A team lead could tighten the boundaries, visit the issues, model the appropriate behavior, and ask that it be followed. But don’t wait for the team lead to tackle all these leadership roles. Dig in! Ask the team lead if and how you can help, or give them your great ideas on what you’d recommend. When you directly address the poor procedure instead of blaming or avoiding the conversation, you’re sending a message that you’re committed to fair, safe, and profitable play.

Just like children inside the confines of a sandbox feel safe, or the townsfolk of a medieval city feel protected inside the fortress from outsiders, adults need to feel boundaries to find their safe zones too, and they’ll push until they meet the resistance before they feel secure. Boundaries are protection for all.

When my yellow lab Joy was a puppy, we attended obedience school,

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