Discussing how to set boundaries with your dog daycare staff

As a leader, more than likely you’ve had to learn how to set boundaries for yourself, boundaries between you and your clients, and boundaries between you and your staff. It’s tricky to negotiate and determine those boundaries. 

Your staff are like your family because—let’s be honest—you likely care about them. You’re going to defend them and back them up. A lot of our staff struggle with having healthy boundaries with their families or in their personal lives. One of Eve’s staffers asks to work every shift during Christmas and Christmas Eve. But Eve was careful not to make assumptions and just think that this employee has no one to visit over the holidays. Eve asked this employee, and they said just really don’t like their family, so they use work as an excuse all the time to avoid those family gatherings. 

Your staff could need help setting some boundaries with their families, and if that’s something that you feel comfortable coaching them on, that’s great. You can find a lot on coaching and setting healthy boundaries like through Brené Brown, Simon Sinek, and others who have great resources to help you coach your staff. 

Certain times of the year like the holidays are always stressful. That stress comes from the things that we have to endure over the holidays, which might include stressful family or personal situations. So consider if there’s anything that you can do to help your staff set better boundaries with their families or create a better relationship with their family with them again. It’s that personal connection now that you have with your team members. Be gentle with those boundaries. Find ways that you can assist them in their personal lives. It does matter to them. It does help them quite a bit. You can show them that you’ve had to learn how to set boundaries in your life as well.