In most workplaces, being helpful is praised as a sign of initiative, reliability, and teamwork.

It can help you gain the trust of your boss and peers, especially when you step up in moments of crisis, all of which Eunice Victoria, a career coach, agrees with.

However, she warns that too much helpfulness, without boundaries, can quietly derail your career. You risk being overused, overlooked, and eventually burned out.

For Victoria, this reality hit hard.

“After a year of unemployment and navigating grief, I finally landed a consultancy role and poured myself into it. I arrived at work before sunrise, took on tasks far beyond my scope, responded to requests at all hours, and became the office go-to,” she narrates, yet despite all this, her performance was reviewed at 1.5 out of 5.

She realized that while she had been highly visible and helpful, she hadn’t been solving the specific problems she was hired to address.

The workload left her burnt out and unrecognized, and when restructuring came, she was the first to be let go.

“When you’re helpful, people see that you can take initiative, that you’re reliable,” Victoria explains. “It builds trust with your boss because even when they’re not around, they know things are getting done.”

However, she warns that this only works when it’s done within boundaries.

Eunice warns that people often overextend themselves to prove they are worthy of the opportunity.

“You want to show them you’re the best, especially when the job means a lot to you. So you start taking on everything, even what doesn’t belong to you. But in trying to be everything for everyone, you risk becoming what she calls the “office doormat.” Once that label sticks, every urgent task, even those outside your scope, ends up on your desk,” says the Career Coach.

Victoria stresses that being overly helpful can make others underperform, noting that people will cut corners because they know so-and-so will do it.

“And when you finally speak up or step away, the office 'breathes' a sigh of relief. You appear too perfect, too much, and people start resenting you,” she notes, adding that she believes this is also why some highly qualified people are not considered for leadership: they’re not strategic, risking invisibility.

To avoid this, Victoria advises professionals to clarify expectations early.

“When you join a team, sit down with your boss and ask, What does success look like here? How will you know I’m performing? What’s the path to promotion?” Without that clarity, you’ll keep doing what feels right, but not what’s measured,” she says.

She also talks about the importance of saying no, especially as a leadership skill, noting that a leader must be able to say no, firmly but politely, and emphasizes that saying no doesn’t mean being difficult.

“You can’t take on everything. You can say, ‘I’m happy to review this, but I’ll need until Tuesday,’ or, ‘If it’s urgent, please assign it to someone else.’ That’s still leadership. It means offering alternatives, adjusting timelines, or even suggesting someone else take it up. You’re still helping, just not sacrificing yourself in the process,” Victoria says.

She also encourages professionals to pay attention to communication styles.

“If your boss prefers WhatsApp, don’t write long emails. And avoid calls unless it’s an emergency. Calls have no evidence,” she says. “Document everything, even refusals, so your boundaries are clear.”

Above all, she urges team leaders not to exploit helpful staff, and that bosses and colleagues need to check in and give others a chance to grow, too.

“If you’re always taking initiative, always fixing problems, always stepping up, maybe you’re not meant to be an employee and you’re supposed to be running something,” she finally advises, putting emphasis on one recognizing their limits and values as the first steps toward a healthier and more sustainable career.

How to professionally speak up at work without damaging your reputation

Author Spotlight

Leleti Jassor