Time to print out copies of this study so you can hand them out while saying “I’d love to help, but………………..”:
“You arrive at work and one of your coworkers immediately stops and asks if you can help them with a project. If you say “yes,” you might be making a mistake, according to a study from Michigan State University. Assisting coworkers in the morning can lead to bad behavior in the afternoon, and that can create a toxic work environment, says Russell Johnson, lead researcher and associate professor of management in MSU’s Broad College of Business. “Helping in the morning leads people to feel depleted or mentally fatigued in the afternoon, which then leads to them helping less in the afternoon,” he says. “They switched from being other-oriented in the morning to being selfish in the afternoon.””
Read: Now There’s Proof That Helping Your Coworkers In The Morning Can Ruin Your Day at FastCompany