In workplace systems, *thermal load* is the amount of pressure a structure places on people before anything “goes wrong.” You feel this load long before harm becomes visible.
For many minority staff, the load arrives early and accumulates fast — because boundaries around their roles were never designed to protect them.
This is not a personal failing. It is a structural design flaw.
What Boundary Membranes Are
Think of boundary membranes as the surfaces that should protect people from organisational heat. Every role, policy, and process is meant to have one. But not all membranes are built the same.
How Boundaries Fail Under Pressure
When organisational heat rises, boundaries fail in predictable ways. Understanding these failures helps you recognise what’s happening early — without taking it personally.
Membrane Thinning
- You are accessible to everyone, all the time
- Your “job description” quietly expands
- People expect emotional labour as part of your role
Boundary Leakage
- Problems from other teams end up in your inbox
- You’re responsible for “smoothness,” not truth
- Your safety depends on your ability to carry more
Boundary Collapse
- You become the “safety valve” for the whole system
- Accountability above you slides sideways or down
- Harm begins to feel “inevitable” or “normal”
Where This Leads
Once boundaries weaken, heat doesn’t stay in place. It moves — and it rarely moves upward.
The next page explores Primary Heat Sites: the roles, teams, and people who receive the pressure first.
Pressure isn’t random. It follows the path of least protection.