Should You Foster Workplace Competition?

If your employees aren’t working to their full potential, challenging them to a friendly competition could be a much-needed boost. When properly executed, this can serve as a fun way to help the team meet — or exceed — its goals.

Of course, not all workplace competition is a good thing. It can result in high levels of stress and cause employees not leading the pack to feel discouraged if their best efforts still don’t get them to the top.

Here are a few tips to help promote healthy contests that make your team stronger than ever.

4 Ways to Foster Friendly Workplace Competition

Encourage Teamwork

Pitting employees against one another can turn ugly fast. As the saying goes, there’s no ‘I’ in team, so when possible, promote unity by putting staffers in groups or making the competition something everyone completes together. Bonds deepen when people work together to achieve a common goal.

Focus on Growth

Winning a competition doesn’t have to involve outperforming anyone else. In some cases, individual contests might be unavoidable, so maintain a positive vibe by challenging employees to beat their own records. This allows people to concentrate on self-improvement, instead of worrying about what their colleagues are up to. Everyone wins when you inspire your staff to be their best selves.

Celebrate Wins Together

Your employees are a team, so they need to support one another. Competition can bring them closer together by helping them realize each person’s success is actually a win for the entire team. Accomplish this by celebrating as a group when one person has a victory. Honor the work of the individual, but explain to the team why their win is good for everyone.

Focus on the Big Picture

Often times, people get so caught up in a competition, they forget what they’re vying for. Create a contest with purpose, so employees are working toward something bigger than themselves. Constantly remind them of the greater good their hard work will achieve. Instead of focusing on petty issues, they’ll be motivated to do their part to help the company succeed.

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