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We're always being encouraged to help others before we help ourselves.

And in the workplace putting your needs before those of your colleagues is often seen as selfish behaviour.  

But new research says being selfless at work can backfire.

Giving at the expense of your own well-being damages your chance of long-term success.

The authors found that although 'givers' are valuable people in the work place, they're also the most likely to burnout as a result of their generosity (stock image) 

In an article for The Harvard Business Review, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania professor, Dr Adam Grant and Wharton People Analytics researcher Reb Rebele explore the 'generosity burnout'.

They believe that selflessness at work leads to exhaustion, and ironically often hurts the people you intended to help. 

'Although givers are the most valuable people in organizations, they’re also at the greatest risk for burnout', the authors wrote in The Harvard Business Review.

'When they don’t protect themselves, their investments in others can cause them to feel overloaded and fatigued, fall behind in their work goals, and face more stress and conflict at home', they said.   

Research by Wharton professor Adam Grant and Reb Rebele shows that selflessness at work leads to exhaustion. In an article for The Harvard Business Review they explain how 'Generosity burnout' means you end up hurting the people you intended to help (stock image)

In their currently unpublished research, authors Dr Grant and Mr Rebele studied a range of jobs.

One data set came from a study conducted with more than 400 teachers in schools throughout the US.

At the start of the year they asked them questions about their approach to helping others. 

Their answers allowed the authors to predict how well their students would do in their exams at the end of the year. 

Here is a sample question from their test, quoted in Business Insider: 

Imagine that you're teaching a geometry class, and you've volunteered to stay after school one day a week to help one of your students, Alex, improve his understanding of geometry. He asks if you'll also help his friend Juan, who isn't in your class. What would you do?

a. Schedule a separate after-school session to help Juan, so you can better understand his individual needs.

b. Invite Juan to sit in on your geometry sessions with Alex.

c. Tell Alex that it's nice that he wants to help Juan, but he really needs to focus on his own work in order to catch up.

d. Tell Alex that Juan should ask his own teacher for help.

Surprisingly, the pupils with teachers who answered (a) did the worst in their end of year exams. 

The teachers who protected themselves and were less selfless got their students better marks. 

'Selfless educators exhausted themselves trying to help everyone with every request', the authors said. 

In the end, they were damaging the very students they wanted to help.

Not only in teaching, but selfless people suffer most in workplaces and find themselves drowning in admin and unable to pursue their own goals as a result.

Their research also showed people who protect their own time can give the most long-term contribution. 

Their work shows it's about balancing time so when you help other people you don't set yourself back in the process.  

Dr Grant and Mr Rebele explain that you need to remember three key things when giving to other people: 'being thoughtful about how you help, when you help, and whom you help.'

No one can be available all the time to help other people.