With the changing world, the workplace has also changed quite drastically. It has been in a state of constant flux and has seen a huge evolution over the last decade or so. New types of jobs have opened, and new positions have been created, but what has changed the most is the influx of new kind of people in the workplace.
Millennials have often been branded as people who are laid back and getting the best out of them is seen as a mighty task. But, with the advent of this decade, it is the Millenials who have started to bombard into the workplace and take up new roles. If one were to go by the general characteristics of millennials, it would be safe to say that any company that hires a lot of young people will eventually slip into stagnation.
However, as we all know that it is often times not the case. But, how can you get a bunch of laid back individuals to get to work with all their vigor? Turns, out, it can be done by promoting healthy competition among your employees. Many people might think that competition might turn employees against each other, but as long as you know the difference between comparison and competition, you’ll be just fine. So, how to cultivate a competitive atmosphere at your workplace? Let’s find out.
An ideal workplace should be one that provides equal opportunity to every single employee while also promoting a healthy competition among them to get the best out of them. Competition in the workplace is an absolute must as it ensures that the workflow of the office won’t stop as all the employees would be on their toes looking to outperform each other. However, as an employer, you should remember that the competition should always be a healthy one; else it could have dire consequences. Let’s see how to build healthy competition in the workplace.
#1. Healthy Conflict
It is understandable that competition in the workplace is seen as a bad thing. However, one must remember that healthy competition can become a great catalyst for innovation and greatness. Yes, it is true that competition can lead to all kinds of conflicts among employees. There are a limited number of resources available in the company and employees might tend to fight to get access to those. In order to avoid that, you have to make sure that there is a healthy dialogue between colleagues and every person should respect others’ opinions. To promote healthy competition, your first step should be to promote a healthy conflict.
If your employees hesitate from voicing their true opinions on work matters and the general functioning of the company, it may imply a big problem for you. Your employees should feel that the workplace is a part of their life and team leaders and managers should make sure to integrate them well into the office. Only when your employees feel right at home in the office and start interacting with each other, you’ll see the overall productivity increase multifold.
#2. What Is The End Goal?
This is one question that you should ask yourself as an employer. Most people in the workplace today value collaboration, so encouraging competition among them would not be the very best option. Look at ways in which you can allow the employees to collaborate with each other, in order to render wonderful results for your company. When you allow two people to come together and work towards a common goal, two things happen; the overall harmony among employees increases, and so does the productivity. Not to forget that two people can often bring out the best in each other.
Try to keep the competition light-hearted instead of making it intense. For example, don’t reward employees with massive benefits like an appraisal or a promotion. This will only increase the animosity among employees. Instead, you can choose to announce policies like leaving the office early or a front row parking spot for the top performing employees. This way, you can make sure that your employees are not jealous of each other and will still continue to give their best in order to avail the small incentives that are provided to them.
#3. The Way Results Are Achieved Is More Important Than The Results
This should be something that should be in your handbook. The journey of every single employee is more important than what they are able to achieve. If you bring in two inexperienced people, what matters more than what they achieve is how they achieve it. Talk and highlight about the journey that every employee is embarking upon. Sure, results matter the most at the end of the day, but if ever your employees fail to get those results, they shouldn’t be threatened or discouraged.
Remember how we discussed above that knowing the difference between comparison and competition is vital? This is where it comes to play. If someone has achieved things the other employees couldn’t, you should seldom compare them. Rather, you should make your employees focus on what they can learn from their mistakes so as to not repeat them in the future again. There is nothing like a perfect employee, they all make mistakes. But what is important is that they feel that they’re worthy of the company. That is the only way they can be motivated and compete with each other to learn new things.
#4. Feedback Is Crucial
You can give a lot of money and incentives to your employees, but those are not the greatest things you can give back to them. The greatest gift that you can give to employees is constant feedback with the aim to facilitate their growth every day. Psychology says that there are two major factors that drive an employee to work: rewards and consequences. We have already discussed the reward bit. Coming to the consequences part, an employer needs to tell every employee when they work the best and when they miss the mark. An employer has to make sure that employees recognize their strengths and weaknesses.
When each one of your employees is subject to constant feedback, they can compare themselves with their previous self and see how they have bettered over time. As employees compete, with the aim to outperform each other, they also have to compete against their own selves. Self-analysis and self-improvement are also crucial pillars after all.
#5. Competition Is A Subjective Word
Every office should promote healthy competition among employees, but the competition should not only be restricted to work-related things. What does that mean? In short, it means that there are a lot of indirect ways in which you can promote healthy competition in your workplace. Take sports activities for instance. You can organize office tournaments of various sports and ask your employees to participate in them. You can also choose to reward the winners.
When employees compete against each other on the field with the spirit of sportsmanship, it would have an unprecedented impact on their psyche. They can inculcate this spirit of sportsmanship in their daily lives and it will eventually reflect in the workplace too. Sports activities are a great way to encourage healthy competition among employees.
#6. Find Out What Drives An Individual
And finally, let’s go back to the very initial process of getting employees: the hiring process. When hiring a person, ask this simple question to yourself: can you spend a long plane ride with this person? If the answer turns out to be a yes, then get that person immediately. Many people believe that success is a farfetched idea and that it only happens to other people. You don’t want such kind of individuals working for you.
However, there are some people who are so success-oriented that they come across as cutthroats; and you don’t want such kind of people too. You need to have a mix of a person who is hungry and at the same time compassionate.
So, there you have it. Turns out that it is absolutely fine to promote competition at the workplace provided that it is done in moderation and also that you have the right type of people working for you. If you found this article informative, let us know in the comments below.
(Image Courtesy: 1. Elite Performers, 2. Your Office, 3. Small Biz Result, 4. Frenchise; My Fat Pocket (Featured Image Courtesy)
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