All organizations today strive to create a working environment where everyone can work together and challenge themselves. Competition and motivation are considered to be oars of the same boat, as they help drive progress and productivity.
Business owners and managers have come to realize that competitive rivalry between employees in the workplace can eventually drive profits above and can increase the results that come from employees.
A competitive workplace, if not monitored, can soon become a major problem for managers to oversee. The more you think of it, the more you realize that most toxic work environments first come into existence due to a competitive rivalry within workers of the same team.
However, one can also not deny that positive competition brings the best out of employees and helps them deliver more. So, where do we stand in this debate? This article weighs both the pros and cons of competitive rivalry in the workplace and what it means for future growth.
Pros:
Helps Bring Incentives
Competitive rivalry gives HR professionals and teams the opportunity to set incentives and bonuses that they can eventually set for their employees to follow. Besides just the thought of extra money or monetary benefits, employees also crave recognition.
As a manager, you should ensure that employees get the incentives and the rewards they deserve for battling it out against one another for the most clients or other actionable metrics.
Quality Work
Believe it or not, but competitive rivalry helps improve the quality of the work delivered by employees. Employees now realize the importance of feedback from higher-ups and strive to deliver quality outcomes in their work. Competition brings the best out of employees today and can fuel both creativity and productivity. People tend to be more creative when they have a point to prove.
Cons
Anxiety
Anxiety and mental stress in employees is a rather sad side effect of unnecessary competition in the workplace. Employees think of their work as a rat race and forget the importance of resting and taking some time out for themselves. This is an unhealthy standard that needs to be minimized for positive growth in the future.
Poor Morale
While competitive rivalry does increase team performance, it can significantly disrupt the morale of the team when they’re working together. Employees feel like they are always at loggerheads and can’t progressively communicate with each other.
We at JS Benefits Group have worked with numerous clients to discuss the ways they can follow to manage competitive rivalry in the workplace. You can get in touch with JS Benefits Group immediately to discuss and devise a plan.
