We’ve all worked in an office with employees who love to help everyone! They are our go to people who we KNOW will help us with anything. Undoubtedly, these are the employees who are usually involved in special projects, organizing company events, team building activities, assisting employees in their departments and other departments, etc. They say “yes” when asked to do something and usually with a smile on their face. This is a great trait, right? Well, not so fast! The strength of helping everyone can also be a limiter if not balanced.  

Plate is too darn full

These great employees tend to have competing priorities and take on more and more until it leads to ineffectiveness for some if not all of their initiatives. If one is not balanced and does not know their limit, this will impact their perception by others since they may fall short. Not only will it impact the perception of others, the helpful employee may become burned out and not enjoy being helpful! Taking on too much and becoming ineffective, becomes daunting and is a fast track to employee burnout! As the helper, be aware of the limit and as a manager, understand your employee’s top priorities and limits.

Learn To Say No

Saying no and establishing the boundaries is a GOOD thing! It does not mean we are not helpful or mean. It is just sending a signal to all of what we can handle while attending to all other priorities. To someone who is helpful, saying no is hard so start small and give yourself time to become comfortable. As a manager, it is imperative to support these employees since it may be against their nature to say no. The helpful employee wants to maintain this trait as STRENGTH and balance is the key.

Fast Track to Burnout

When anyone is overwhelmed with too much on their plate over long periods of time, we burn out. Needless to say, this is not healthy for an employee, their team or their company. Burnout causes employee dissatisfaction, health issues, loss of productivity, and much more. As the helpful employee, burnout can easily be prevented by establishing boundaries so be proactive! The helpful employee’s health and satisfaction is the top priority which is imperative for both employee and leader to 100% embrace.

Be Proactive and Maintain Balance

The goal is to be helpful to as many people as possible while being effective in all priorities and avoid burnout! Maintain this trait as a STRENGTH. Knowing your limit and saying no creates the balance and creates your perception to others as the helpful employee who knows their limit! They know when you say yes, it means you have time to give 100% effort! Say yes to the opportunities that fuel your passion and purpose and no to others. The right balance creates opportunities, greater job satisfaction and greater engagement!