Boundary Testing
You know that criminals assess potential victims by the use of subtle tactics to test or probe someone's personal, social, or physical boundaries to see how likely the person is to resist or comply. It's a behavioral assessment method used to evaluate vulnerability, assert control, or select a target. I have known about this concept since my earliest law enforcement days, but I confess I only recently heard it called by the name of Boundary Testing.
The concept holds that a criminal might engage in minor rule-breaking of social norms, starting with small intrusions—such as standing too close, touching unnecessarily, or violating personal space—to see how the person reacts. If the victim tolerates these small violations, the offender may feel emboldened to escalate. They might test for assertiveness, looking for passivity, confusion, or politeness that override discomfort (e.g., someone not objecting to rude or creepy behavior because they don’t want to seem rude themselves).
Understanding Boundary Testing in public or “real world” situations helps us recognize red flags early, assert boundaries confidently, and protect ourselves from manipulation or harm. But you may never have realized that a kind of Boundary Testing can take place in your workplace.
Boundary Testing in the workplace refers to employee behavior—often subtle—where someone deliberately pushes or crosses professional or interpersonal limits to test what they can get away with, gauge power dynamics, or manipulate others. It can be inappropriate, unethical, or even abusive behavior, depending on the context. Common Examples of Boundary Testing in the workplace include:
Disregarding Professional Norms:
Chronic lateness to see if there is a consequence.
Ignoring dress codes or professional behavior standards.
Making inappropriate jokes or comments to test reactions.
Overstepping Roles:
Taking on tasks outside the employee’s scope without permission (far exceeding what might be considered desirable employee initiative).
Giving orders without authority or claiming to have authority that does not exist.
Undermining a supervisor subtly to test boundaries of control.
Emotional or Psychological Manipulation:
Pushing someone to share personal details to test their openness or vulnerability.
Probing for weaknesses, like self-esteem issues or a need to please, to later exploit.
Power and Respect Testing:
Ignoring instructions or delaying tasks to see how a supervisor responds.
Deliberately challenging authority or policies in subtle ways.
Inappropriate Familiarity:
Testing how much personal attention or contact (emotional or physical) is tolerated, such as overly casual conversation, touching, or pushing boundaries of humor or flattery.
Why does Boundary Testing happen in the workplace? Some employees engage in Boundary Testing to establish dominance or control. Some use it to try to manipulate team dynamics (or their supervisor). It is often used by a problem employee to gauge tolerance for future inappropriate behavior (like harassment or exploitation). And some employees use it just to see how far they can go before facing consequences.
What are some clues that Boundary Testing in the workplace may be happening to you?
You feel uncomfortable about an employee’s behavior, but the action is small enough to make you doubt yourself.
The employee does it repeatedly, often increasing the intensity over time.
You notice a pattern—the employee tests different people, not just you.
The employee has a negative reaction when you assert boundaries.
If you observe or suspect an employee is engaging in Boundary Testing, respond by setting clear boundaries early and enforce them consistently. Document incidents if the behavior crosses the line.
TIP: Do not reward or ignore boundary testing—silence is often taken as consent. And if you do not get the results you want by discussing your observations with the employee, do not be afraid to escalate the situation to management, especially if the behavior persists or feels threatening.