Professional Boundaries for Academic Librarians: Strengthening Supervisor-Employee Relationships with Respect, Clarity, and Inclusion

Published on 28 October 2024 at 10:35

Leaders who practice favoritism in the workplace have no chance to build a culture of trust.” – Robert Whipple

In academic libraries, close collaboration and mutual support often lead to strong connections between colleagues. While these relationships are valuable, they can blur the lines between professional roles, especially when a colleague transitions to a supervisory position. For supervisors, setting boundaries is about fostering mutual respect, maintaining fairness, and creating a productive environment that supports everyone on the team.

This blog post explores why boundaries are essential in supervisor-employee relationships within academic libraries, drawing on insights from Harvard Business Review’s "A Guide to Setting Better Boundaries" and Karen Dillon’s article, "Can You Be Friends With Your Boss?", which covers the complexities of workplace friendships. Using principles from Radical Candor and Viral Justice, we’ll discuss practical strategies for setting, communicating, and managing boundaries in ways that foster a respectful, inclusive, and supportive workplace.

Why Boundaries Matter in Academic Libraries

Academic libraries are naturally collaborative spaces where strong bonds and teamwork often blur hierarchical lines. Without clear boundaries, supervisor-employee dynamics can become complicated, leading to misunderstandings, reduced productivity, and burnout. Healthy boundaries provide a foundation of mutual respect and role clarity, enabling supervisors to manage fairly and employees to thrive. Incorporating DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) principles into boundary-setting further strengthens this foundation, ensuring that diverse perspectives are respected, and power imbalances are addressed inclusively.

An essential part of setting boundaries is recognizing these inherent power imbalances between supervisors and employees. Karen Dillon’s article illustrates the risks of blurred boundaries through the story of Jason, a supervisor, and Martin, his subordinate. Their friendship, complicated by hierarchy, led to perceptions of favoritism and team tension, ultimately causing Martin to leave. This example highlights the importance of balancing professionalism with fairness. Grounded in principles from Radical Candor and Viral Justice, the following seven strategies offer guidance for fostering clear, inclusive boundaries that create a respectful, balanced environment for supervisors and employees alike.

Define and Prioritize Boundaries as "Hard" or "Soft"

A practical approach to setting boundaries is to distinguish between “hard” (nonnegotiable) and “soft” (flexible) boundaries, as suggested by Harvard’s "A Guide to Setting Better Boundaries." This clarity helps supervisors and employees understand each other’s needs and expectations. Hard boundaries are firm and protect essential needs, such as maintaining limits on after-hours work-related communication or refraining from oversharing personal details in a professional setting. Soft boundaries, however, can adapt based on context, like adjusting work hours to accommodate team needs.

When discussing boundaries around personal sharing, supervisors and employees alike benefit from recognizing that while casual conversation strengthens bonds, extensive sharing of personal issues can blur professional lines and even create discomfort within the team. Supervisors can apply Radical Candor by gently guiding conversations back to work-related topics, reinforcing that healthy boundaries support individual well-being, team comfort, and productivity.

Inclusive Boundary-Setting: Inclusive boundaries respect diverse comfort levels regarding personal sharing. For example, supervisors can model this by engaging in light, inclusive conversations while being mindful to avoid oversharing. This approach sets a standard for professional interactions that remain inclusive and considerate of everyone’s comfort.

Recommendations:

For Supervisors: Set an example by keeping personal sharing light and inclusive, focusing on topics that build positive rapport without overshadowing professional roles.
For Employees: Be mindful of sharing personal details. If you notice oversharing is affecting focus or team comfort, consider gently redirecting the conversation to professional topics or seeking support outside the workplace.

Establish Clear Expectations from Day One

Setting clear expectations from the start can prevent boundary issues from arising. Supervisors should define responsibilities, working hours, and performance standards, as well as clarify when immediate responses are necessary versus when they can wait. By setting expectations, supervisors reduce misunderstandings and promote transparency.

Dillon’s article underscores that unclear boundaries, especially in supervisor-employee friendships, can lead to perceived favoritism. Open communication about expectations creates a fairer work environment and promotes inclusivity.

Respecting individual needs supports an inclusive environment. Consider asking team members about their communication preferences or cultural considerations that may affect their work. This dialogue ensures that expectations are both clear and adaptable.

Recommendations:

For Supervisors: Revisit expectations periodically, especially during performance reviews or role changes. This clarity reinforces boundaries and supports mutual respect.
For Employees: If expectations feel unclear, ask for clarification on timelines or other specifics. Taking initiative helps create a collaborative understanding of boundaries.

Build an Open Communication Channel

Open communication is essential for effective teamwork, but it requires structured boundaries to be most effective. Regular check-ins create a space to discuss boundary concerns, workload, and communication preferences. These conversations reinforce role clarity and encourage transparency. Dillon’s article highlights the importance of this clarity, especially in supervisor-employee friendships, where the line between personal and professional roles may blur.

Radical Candor supports open, direct communication that encourages supervisors and employees to share concerns honestly and respectfully.

Inclusive communication fosters psychological safety—a feeling of trust that encourages team members to voice concerns openly. Inviting input on boundaries creates an environment where diverse perspectives are valued.

Recommendations:

For Supervisors: Normalize boundary discussions during check-ins, and ask open-ended questions that invite feedback on workload and boundaries.
For Employees: Use these check-ins to share boundary-related feedback. If after-hours expectations feel overwhelming, discussing this helps supervisors make adjustments that respect your personal time.

Recognizing and Addressing Power Imbalances

Power dynamics are a natural part of supervisor-employee relationships, but they must be navigated carefully to maintain fairness. Dillon’s article illustrates how even unintentional favoritism can disrupt team dynamics and lead to feelings of exclusion. For instance, celebrating milestones for some employees but not others can create a sense of inequity, making those left out feel undervalued.

Over time, selective acknowledgment can erode team trust, as team members may feel they need similar personal relationships with the supervisor to access the same support. To create a more equitable environment, supervisors should adopt consistent practices for recognizing achievements.

Rather than celebrating milestones for certain employees, consider recognizing all team members’ achievements equally, with a team-wide birthday celebration or monthly recognition.

Recommendations:

For Supervisors: Avoid selective actions, such as celebrating only certain personal milestones. Adopting fair practices shows that all team members’ contributions are equally valued.
For Employees: If you feel overlooked, address this constructively with your supervisor. Mentioning that consistent acknowledgment could benefit team morale is a professional way to advocate for inclusivity.

Model Respect for Personal Boundaries and Work-Life Balance

Respecting personal boundaries in remote and hybrid work settings is essential. Supervisors set the tone by respecting after-hours boundaries, making it clear that team members aren’t expected to be available around the clock. Dillon notes that in close friendships, maintaining personal boundaries is crucial to prevent perceptions of favoritism.

Viral Justice encourages honoring individual circumstances, and respecting work-life boundaries creates a safe environment for everyone.

To support team cohesion, encourage employees to communicate personal obligations, cultural observances, or caregiving responsibilities that may affect their availability. This shows that everyone’s unique needs are valued.

Recommendations:

For Supervisors: Clearly communicate and follow after-hours boundaries. Recognize and reinforce team members who respect these boundaries.
For Employees: Share your preferred working hours, and reinforce boundaries when necessary. Clear communication helps maintain a balanced, respectful team dynamic.

Use Experiments to Test and Adjust Boundaries

The authors of Boundaries, Priorities, and Finding Work-Life Balance suggest “cutback experiments” as a way to test the effectiveness of boundaries. Supervisors can implement small adjustments, like meeting-free days, and gather feedback to see how it impacts productivity. This gradual approach allows for adjustments based on team feedback.

Radical Candor promotes direct and honest feedback to help supervisors refine boundaries to support team needs.

Experimenting with flexible boundaries, like remote work options, shows that the workplace can adapt to support diverse team needs, fostering inclusivity.

Recommendations:

For Supervisors: Start with a small boundary adjustment, like focused work hours, and gather feedback to gauge its impact.
For Employees: Try your own boundaries, like setting focus hours, and share what works best. Providing feedback helps supervisors create a supportive environment.

Reinforce Boundaries to Support Equity and Psychological Safety

Consistently reinforcing boundaries helps create an environment that is safe and inclusive. Psychological safety—a sense of trust that encourages openness—is essential for teams to thrive. Regularly reviewing boundaries prevents team dynamics from eroding and supports a respectful work environment.

Revisiting boundaries with team input reinforces psychological safety, showing that everyone’s evolving needs are important.

Recommendations:

For Supervisors: Schedule regular boundary reviews to adapt to changing needs. Reinforcing boundaries supports equity and psychological safety.
For Employees: Regularly assess and communicate adjustments to your boundaries. Open communication fosters respect and contributes to a balanced workplace.

Building a Culture of Respect, Inclusion, and Trust

Maintaining boundaries in supervisor-employee relationships isn’t about creating distance; it’s about fostering a respectful, inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. In academic libraries, boundaries help clarify roles, ensure fairness, and prevent burnout. By setting expectations, maintaining open communication, and addressing issues with care, supervisors and employees build a culture of trust, respect, and inclusivity that strengthens the library community. Recognizing DEI in boundary-setting creates a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to succeed.