Category: Business

By Linda Thompson, MHSA

When an employee leaves an organization, it is commonly left open, or posted internally, externally, or both. But in practice there are several other choices: the role can be eliminated, the position may be intentionally left unfilled, or the responsibilities of the role can be outsourced, assigned to an existing position, or divided across existing roles. 

This blog post explores the option of assigning the responsibilities to another employee or dividing the tasks and responsibilities across existing roles. There are advantages and challenges for organizations as well as for individual employees.

Employees in these options may have the advantage of:

• experiencing growth opportunities and gaining new skills that increase their marketability,
• earning new credentials and/or certifications,
• building their own internal and external professional networks,
• increasing credibility and influence within the organization and/or field,
• receiving compensation increases, and
• gaining work satisfaction and motivation from the employer’s confidence in their ability to assume new responsibilities. 

There are several organizational advantages as well when assigning or dividing a role to existing staff.

• An existing employee may not need employee orientation, policy training, or the new employee paperwork. There may even be less training involved if the employee already has some familiarity with the role requirements.
• Productivity downtime when an employee leaves may be minimized or eliminated when the organization has one or more people on board who are able to quickly be assigned. 
• When best practices are followed, providing employees with growth opportunities may lead to a more highly-engaged and satisfied workforce.  
• Labor expenses may be reduced.  Although reassigning role responsibilities to one or more people may include an increase in compensation, the increase is not likely to equal the cost of fully compensating a dedicated, full-time employee. 

Considering the advantages to both the employee and the organization, this option may look like an evident solution, yet we can probably all think of scenarios where it didn’t turn out well. 

Under some conditions an employee could face significant challenges when an employer assigns new responsibilities to an existing full-time role.  For example, the employee could experience:

• overwhelm and increased stress,
• a lack of clarity about job expectations and priorities,
• challenges in utilizing PTO benefits due to workload and lack of coverage while away, and
• perceptions of being taken for granted, treated unfairly, or used.

When reassignments don’t work well for employees, there are usually related organizational challenges. Disadvantages to organizations may include:

• challenges covering necessary tasks and processes when a person covering multiple roles utilizes PTO benefits, and
• a disengaged team that is more prone to burnout if assigning to the wrong person for the wrong reasons. With burnout comes increased health care costs, reduced productivity, increased personnel and HR issues. Eventually increased turnover is the result.   

Best practices can be used to better ensure a positive outcome for employees and organizations when a vacant role is reassigned. One clear approach is to foster a strengths-based organizational culture. In organizations with such a culture, productivity is 22% higher and employees are less likely to quit.* Creating a strengths-based culture requires attention to the general and individual needs of employees. It means assigning tasks and opportunities that match the person’s work style and motivations. Organizations can better understand employee strengths, motivators, and ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving through a number of assessments designed for this purpose. Examples include DiSC, CliftonStrength, and Kolbe assessments. 

Consider the following best practices when reassigning the responsibilities of a vacated role:  

• Know which team members are motivated by additional responsibility or are looking for growth opportunities. Offer, rather than dictate, the reassignment.  Allow time for the employee to consider the role and to ask questions. 
• Position the reassignment as an opportunity or promotion, highlighting the benefits to the employee. 
• Be willing to increase compensation for additional responsibility. Increased compensation speaks to appreciation and recognition. For some, it is a strong motivator. 
• Be clear about the new role and priorities in relation to the employee’s current role. Revise or rewrite existing job descriptions to identify what has changed in the employee’s responsibilities.  
• Consider cross-training other appropriate staff to cover essential responsibilities while employees are away on personal time.
• Act quickly. Followers need stability from their leaders. The best practices described lose impact when an organization drags its feet by postponing decisions about the vacated position, neglecting to schedule follow up discussions, delaying the revisions needed to job descriptions, and projecting uncertainty regarding compensation. 

When organizations are in tune with the skill sets and growth aspirations of their workforce, permanently assigning tasks associated with a vacant role rather than hiring new staff may be a win-win solution for all.

* Reference: https://hbr.org/2013/07/employee-engagement-does-more 

Linda Thompson, MHSA
Executive Coach
Gallup Certified CliftonStrengths Coach
Discipline-Connectedness-Relator-Input-Responsibility

By Mary Lockhart, PhD, MS, ACC

As a leader, your time, energy, and attention are constantly in demand. You want to be accessible, supportive, and engaged—but without clear boundaries, leadership can quickly become overwhelming. Meetings fill every available moment, emails flood your inbox, and your workday extends well into your personal time. Over time, this takes a toll.

The good news? Strong boundaries don’t make you a less effective leader; they make you a better one. By setting and maintaining boundaries, you protect your ability to think strategically, make sound decisions, be an effective role model and be fully present when it matters most.

Research consistently shows that strong boundaries are not just good for your well-being – they are also good for your team, and for your organization.  A leader’s ability to implement clear boundaries can improve team morale, reduce turnover, and foster a more productive work environment.

Here are five key types of challenges all leaders face with boundaries, along with specific strategies to overcome them.

1. Time Boundaries: Stop the 24/7 Grind

One of the biggest challenges for leaders is managing their time effectively. Without clear boundaries, your calendar can become overrun with meetings, leaving little time for deep work, strategic thinking, or even a moment to breathe. 

Try this:

• Block out dedicated “focus time” on your calendar and protect it as you would an important meeting.
• Set clear meeting norms. You can do this by placing a limit on meeting times and ensure they have a clear agenda.
• Build in buffer time between meetings to avoid running from one commitment to the next without reflection.

2. Work-Life Boundaries: Model What You Preach

Many leaders feel they must be “always on,” responding to emails late at night, taking calls on weekends, and sacrificing personal time for work. But when you blur the lines between work and personal life, burnout is inevitable for both you and for your team members.

Studies have shown that employees with better work-life balance are more engaged, focused, and less likely to experience burnout, leading to improved performance and reduced absenteeism. By role-modeling a healthier work-life balance, you empower everyone to thrive. 

Try this:

• Define and communicate your work hours to your team, and stick to them.
• If you work outside normal hours, use “schedule send” for emails to send during standard work hours to avoid setting an expectation of 24/7 availability.
• Establish a transition ritual, such as a walk or journaling, to help shift from work mode to personal time.

3. Decision-Making Boundaries: Letting Go of Control and Empowering Your Team

Leaders often get pulled into decisions they don’t need to make, leading to decision fatigue and a lack of time for higher-level priorities. If you’re frequently solving problems your team could handle, it’s time to redefine your decision-making role and trust your team.

Try this:

• Use the RACI model (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) to clarify who owns what decisions. This designates who is Responsible for executing a task, who is Accountable for the outcome (only one person should be accountable for each task), who needs to be Consulted before a decision is made, and who needs to be Informed of the decision. Using RACI can prevent confusion and ensure clear ownership.
• When team members bring you a problem, ask, “What do you think?” and take their suggestions seriously before offering your opinion,
• Delegate decisions that don’t require your level of expertise and trust your team to execute.

4. Communication Boundaries: Cutting Through the Noise

Emails, texts and “quick questions” can fill your day, leaving little room for focused work. Without clear communication boundaries, you’ll spend more time reacting than leading.

Try this:

• Set expectations for response times—just because someone asks for an immediate answer doesn’t mean they need one.
• Establish “office hours” for non-urgent discussions to prevent constant interruptions.
• Decline meetings that aren’t necessary, and encourage concise, focused in-person and email communication.

5. Emotional Boundaries: Supporting Without Absorbing

Great leaders care deeply about their teams. However, when you take on too much of your team’s stress, it can weigh you down. Leaders who struggle with emotional boundaries by absorbing another’s problems often experience burnout and decision paralysis.

Try this:

• Recognize what’s within your control and what isn’t. If an issue is draining you, ask yourself, “Is this something I can control?”  If not, let it go. 
• When a team member shares a challenge, ask yourself, “Am I here to listen, advise, or take action?” Not every problem is yours to solve (even if you really want to).
• Support your team members while maintaining perspective—being empathetic doesn’t mean carrying their emotional burdens.

The Bottom Line: Boundaries Make You a Stronger Leader

Setting boundaries isn’t about being unavailable, it’s about being intentional. When you protect your time, energy, and focus, you show up as a more strategic, present, and effective leader. And by modeling healthy boundaries, you empower your team to do the same.

What’s one boundary you need to strengthen this week?

Additional Resources for Leaders:

Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts (2018) Brené Brown emphasizes the importance of vulnerability and courage in leadership, offering tools to build trust and navigate difficult conversations.

Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity (2022) Kim Scott provides a framework for leaders to communicate effectively, fostering open dialogue while maintaining professional relationships.

Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition:  When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life (2017).  Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend offer practical guidance on setting healthy limits in relationships, work, and personal life to regain control and foster emotional well-being.The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It (2021).  In this timely book, workplace well-being expert Jennifer Moss helps leaders and individuals prevent burnout and create healthier, happier, and more productive workplaces.