Competition helps in many ways. But it’s understandable why many are wary of encouraging competition at work as it can lead employees to compare themselves with each other. They say comparison is the thief of joy. But handled correctly and in the right environment and context, competition has plenty of benefits. It can be good for your organization. Here are a few reasons why you might want to introduce a little bit of competition at work.
Prevents Complacency
What motivates your team? If motivation is flagging, that could lead to poor performance, low morale, and little engagement. There are, of course, a number of factors that must be considered. It’s hard to stay motivated when you’ve been doing the same thing over and over. Is that what your employees face? By introducing a little friendly competition at work, you can encourage them to be more active, to be more engaged, and to participate more through wellness competition programs.
Encourage Innovation
A lot depends on how your employees will accept the competition. For some, it can lead them to innovate, to find better ways to get the job done and done right. That’s one way to respond. They want to do better and so they work harder to find out what can help them achieve success. But don’t push too hard. If you do or you handle the wrong way, you’ll only leave your employees feeling even more de-motivated. You’ll need to find the right balance when you use competition to encourage your team. The last thing you need is to push them into a situation that they aren’t ready for. If the resistance is strong, find out why and how you can help your team overcome that hurdle.
Helps with Goal Setting
Competition helps your employees set more goals. It helps them set up objectives that they will want to work towards to. For instance, if they see someone do better in one of the company’s competitions, then that could encourage them to set a goal for themselves too: that they should do better in this area or master a particular skill. It helps expand their understanding of the world and themselves: that they can do so much better. That there’s room for growth and the only way to get there is to push harder.
Gives a Sense of Purpose
Going for gold gives people a sense of purpose. If they want to win that competition so badly, it can help them improve or even develop better habits. For instance, if they set a goal of winning one of the races in the competitions that the company has sponsored, they’ll do whatever they can to achieve that goal for themself, even if that means going the extra. They’ll train harder. They’ll invest the time and effort to work out. They’ll look after their health much better. When people are motivated, it gives them a sense of purpose. It gives them something that they can truly devote themselves to and seeing that happen is one of the best benefits of introducing competition to your team.
