Anushika Brogan discusses why setting boundaries is key to creating a sustainable work-life balance.
In our business, the work environment can be quite intense. Many dental practices operate between the hours of 8am to 8pm, seven days a week. Therefore, setting boundaries is crucial for the team to avoid burnout and maintain a work-life balance.
Boundaries at work
In some corporate settings, it’s frowned upon if you’re not immediately responsive, especially with the prevalence of smartphones. I advise my team not to turn off their phones completely. Turning off phones can signal that you’re not available.
Instead, keep your phone on but place it somewhere that won’t disrupt your personal time. Messages and calls will come through, and if someone calls, they’re likely to follow up with a message. If your phone is off, people might assume you’re unavailable and not contact you again.
For myself, I often leave the office around 5:30 or 6pm to see my children and then get back online later. I tell my team that if I send an email after hours, it doesn’t mean I expect an immediate response.
Sometimes I work at four in the morning, and I don’t expect people to respond to me at that time. I encourage them to respond during their work hours or when they feel comfortable. This approach helps prevent stress from feeling the need to respond outside of work hours.
Preventing burnout
If no boundaries are set, it can seriously impact mental health. You end up feeling constantly stressed and pressured to respond.
Previously, work would stay at work, but now everything is always in your pocket. It’s important to consciously decide to stop working and not respond to work-related messages outside of your designated hours.
In my role, I’ve structured communication to avoid overwhelming staff. For example, practice managers don’t contact me directly but go through their area managers. If an area manager is off, another one covers their area.
This system helps manage communication effectively and prevents an overload of direct messages. We also have a weekly huddle where we share updates, which reduces the volume of emails practice managers receive. They only have to handle one consolidated update each week, rather than multiple emails from different departments.
Guiding contact
Communicating and enforcing boundaries is about clearly stating what is acceptable and what is not. For instance, it’s important to address how people speak to each other.
Sometimes, dentists may think it’s okay to speak poorly to their team or practice manager, which is not acceptable. That’s why we’ve established our Damira values to guide conduct and ensure everyone knows what is expected.
Damira dental values:
- Dignity – we believe all of our patients, employees, associates and clinical professionals are worthy of being treated with respect
- Achievement – we strive towards individual/team goals and giving our best regardless of any obstacles
- Mindful – we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings and understand the impact our actions have on those around us
- Innovative – we are proud to adopt new technology and advancements in Dentistry
- Responsible – we are personally accountable for our work
- Ambassador – we always represent Damira, demonstrating our company values to patients and colleagues alike.
In summary, setting and respecting boundaries is vital for work-life balance.
By establishing clear communication and fostering a respectful supportive work environment, we can help prevent burnout and enhance our team’s wellbeing.
Read more of Anushika’s Balancing Life in Dentistry column:
- Managing imposter syndrome
- Why are there fewer businesswomen in dentistry?
- Advice for the next generation of businesswomen
- A week in the life of a dental businesswoman
- Balancing work and motherhood as a corporate owner.
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