S5 Ep. 3 - Work Boundaries w/Lollie Ramirez-Benett

This is your True Talk Cafe micro episode, designed to start your day with intention, not noise.

Today we’re talking about work boundaries - not as a buzzword, but as a workplace skill.

Boundaries help people protect focus, reduce burnout, and stay consistent—without sacrificing accountability or teamwork.

Here’s the question:

Where are your work expectations unclear—time, response, priorities, or workload?

We’re seeing this across the workforce:

• In the APA Work in America survey, 95% of workers say it matters to work for an organization that respects boundaries between work and non-work time. 
• And a Pew Research study found 55% of workers respond to work messages outside normal work hours at least sometimes. 

Here are four common boundary gaps—plus “HR-safe” scripts you can try.

1) Time boundaries (start/stop of day)

If your day has no real endpoint, your brain never gets a true reset.

Navigation:

Use a simple statement and a clear next step:

• “I’m offline this evening. I’ll respond tomorrow morning.”
• “I can pick this up during business hours—what’s the deadline?”

2) Response-time boundaries (email, Teams, text)

Not everything is urgent—even if it arrives with urgency.

Navigation:

• “I’m in meetings right now. I’ll respond by end of day.”
• “If this is time-sensitive, please call—otherwise I’ll reply within 24 business hours.”

3) Priority boundaries (what comes first)

A healthy boundary is often just prioritization—done out loud.

Navigation:

• “I can take this on. What should I deprioritize to make room?”
• “Here are the top two priorities I’m working—where would you like this to land?”

This keeps the tone collaborative while making capacity visible.

4) Workload boundaries (scope and sustainability)

If the workload keeps expanding without alignment, stress becomes chronic.

Navigation:

• “I’m at capacity this week. I can do A by Friday or B by Wednesday—your call.”
• “To deliver this well, I’ll need either more time or adjusted scope.”

Here’s today’s action:

Pick one boundary and make it specific for the next 24 hours—time, response, priority, or workload.

Write it down. Say it once. Hold it once.

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Talk soon...