Washington, March 2 (IANS) Believe it or not -- the more honest and humble an employee is, the better is his or her job performance, according to a new study.

"This study shows that those who possess the combination of honesty and humility have better job performance," said study leader Wade Rowatt, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at Baylor University in the US.

Baylor researchers surveyed 269 employees in 25 companies across 20 states in the US who provide health care for challenging clients, the journal Personality and Individual Differences reports.

Researchers found that those who self-reported more honesty and humility were scored significantly higher by their supervisors for their job performance, according to a Baylor statement.

The researchers defined honesty and humility as characteristics that exhibit high levels of fairness, greed-avoidance, sincerity and modesty.

"Honest and humble people could be a good fit for occupations and organisations that require special attention and care for products or clients," said study co-author Megan Johnson.

"Narcissists, on the other hand, who generally lack humility and are exploitative and selfish, would probably be better at jobs that require self-promotion," added Johnson.