Competition in the workplace: Striking a healthy balance with employee engagement Ian Edwards January 4, 2021 Humans compete over just about anything. What if you could turn your employees everyday tasks into a game or friendly competition? Will you score, will you miss or will the goalie make a save? There are five main types of conflict in the workplace. Set Realistic Benchmarks and Provide Honest Feedback Earlier in the article, we discussed how author Daniel Pink has shared research indicating that short-term extrinsic motivators dont necessarily last in the long run. Building a game around company information, from fun facts about the founding of the company to current 2. MTI Events. This indicates that the ideal scenario isabalanceofshort-term extrinsiccompetition with long-term intrinsic competition. You could simply request that employees submit screenshots of their engagement stats; and whoever has the highest engagement is the winner. But workplace competitions dont only have the power to bring out the best in your employees they can also help foster team morale and camaraderie. Competitive intelligence follows ethical standards to prevent legal issues as this is used as a systematic tool to monitor competitors actions and behavior. They should focus on doing their best work and not overthink the performance of others. Its missing important information about why the competition is being set and what business objectives it will achieve. Gloria Sims, senior human resource specialistFort Worth, Texas. One manager described his firms weekly Cash or Cabbages day where those who missed their bonuses were publically given cabbages instead of cash. They ultimately benefit the organization through better employee engagement, less turnover, and an improved bottom line. As your employees make progress, they can color in the thermometer. Here are a few types of workplace competitions: Individual competitions typically focus on the key strengths of each employee. For example, if a sales associate consistently sells $100 of merchandise per hour, management might offer them a cash bonus if they can increase their sales by $50 per hour over a week. Communication. Write the goal at the top of the thermometer and create tick marks to signify milestones, such as dollar amounts, hours, accolades, etc. Gamification is a terrific employee engagement activity that guides, motivates, and incentivizes employees, even those working remotely. As we have seen, leaders need to invest energy generating excitement by highlighting the potential positive consequences of competition (e.g., recognition and rewards that await outstanding performers) rather than creating anxiety by singling out and highlighting low performers. Keep in mind theres a time and place for employee engagement programs that include competition. 8. In one study, we asked 204 employees from a variety of industries how different employment policies at their company (such as bonuses, performance management, and promotions) made them feel. People should be encouraged to share their respectful opinions freely, and management must convey they value those opinions, even if they eventually dont win the game. To effectively make the staff more cognizant of their safety and the safety of others, I created a safety raffle. Who gives the update first in a staff meeting, or who arrives first to the conference room do not matter. This simple but fun games asks entrants to pop a balloon (by clicking on it) to reveal what prizes are inside. Competition benefits only certain people. Each month, we send out an anonymous survey to our staff using. This is a perfect example of a competition that creates anxiety and fear rather than a competition that generates excitement and eagerness to participate. 1. God has created us with a desire to do well, and to improve what we are able to do. When not busy writing, she can be found traveling, doing yoga or chipping away at her ever-growing book collection. Encouraging your employees to be advocates for the company on social media is an effective way to increase brand visibility and attract customers. Celebrate Winners but Dont Bring Down Losers Previously in the article, we mentioned Harvard Business Reviews study on competition in the workplace which stated that competitions based on fear of losing something create anxiety and produce negative results. Cook-off or bake-off. Leaders should use competition judiciously. 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For this reason, its critical to celebrate winners butalsoto ensure you never bring down the losers of the contest. This lets everyone see where they stand and creates a sense of transparency across the entire department. If youre looking for a way to help your team to become stronger and more effective communicators,ourClear Communicationtraining and developmentprogramprovidestactics on how to enhance their holistic communications skills. Its also important for organizations to offer prizes or incentives that have real value to employees. Students are encouraged to do their very best. In other areas the inequality of men and women is even larger: for example, in Japan, the same metric went from 1% to 2% and in North America from 15% to 18%. Be on the lookout for examples of competition that seems unfriendly or unhealthy. Fear produces all kinds of negative behaviors from passive resistance to political maneuvering to self-protection. WebFor example, between 2005 and 2014 European companies had 14% women in their boards and this percentage rose to 24% since 2014. The organization treated their managers as team owners who then drafted sales reps onto five fantasy teams. Corporate Culture. Interpersonal competition is a dynamic, ongoing process, where individuals may vie to out-do one another in a multitude of domains. BeeLiked believes employee engagement can make a real difference in employee attitude, motivation, happiness, and productivity. Not a lot of companies have the systems to do this but it can be done old school with badges to put on name plates, for example. For example, do team members seem to be sabotaging one another during games or team calls? For example, if many of your employees are international, questions about the local culture may not be easy to answer for everyone. To do so, you can consider hosting debrief meetings after each internal competition to discuss what employees learned, gain valuable feedback and key learnings, and offer insights into how the competition and the employees hard work ultimatelyimpacted the organization. On the flip side, too much competition can be deadly killing morale, causing stress, and fostering backstabbing. Maybe its time to try a new, more creative approach. New employees have to search their new workplace for various information and locations, such as common communication boards, departments, meeting rooms, cafeterias, etc. The introduction of this gaming/reward system reduced the total accidents by 50 percent that year. Sales contests are the most obvious way to ignite that competitive spirit, but they shouldnt be about elevating one individual over another. Can exist only when your self-esteem is stable. Its important to ensure that there are safeguards in place to avoid dishonest means of achieving goals or misrepresentation of results. 5. If youve found yourself having the same kinds of conversations with your colleagues each day, its time to mix things up. When it comes to identifying and encouraging the right kind ofworkplacecompetition the healthy and positive kind there are some key things to consider: Understanding that there can be both healthy and unhealthycompetition, how can you ensure youre encouraging therightkindwithin your organization? Dont Let WorkplaceCompetitionNegatively Impact Morale One of the quickest ways forcompetitionto become a negative thing is when employees are forced to compete for necessities like resources, budgets, or time with staff in different departments. Its imperative to outline benchmarks in clear and specific terms and then conduct check-ins to make sure everyones still on track. And you can also gain big benefits in the process such as increased communication, collaboration, and comradery. Set parameters forcompetitions such as cut-off hours for what qualifies in order to keep things on a level playing field. As technology, transportation, and communication systems have improved, competition among companies in different countries has soared. With more than 90+ locations across the country, youll find a local team that knows the region, backed by the power of a national footprint. Together with increased innovation, a competitive workplace also benefits your organization by: The key to successful workplace competition is good organization and structure of employee engagement programs. This concept can easily be applied to work-oriented goals. Its important to make sure to monitor the engagement and camaraderie in your team when holding performance competitions. Its generally viewed as a positive thing, pushing athletes to higher levels of motivation and performance. Make sure to keep it lighthearted and fun; this shouldnt be a grind. When setting up the trivia game, its important to make sure the questions are all appropriate and inclusive. versus collaboration in the workplace is that, when executed improperly, it can bring challenging and negative implications. An incompetent manager can ruin the atmosphere in the team, decrease productivity, or even increase employee turnover. WebA. This is a BETA experience. For this reason, Halloween costume contests can be a great way to inject some fun into your workplace. From an individuals point of view, peer comparison can be a strong motivator to work harder and longer. More importantly, these emotions make people behave differently. However, it isnt always easy to get employees to share company-related content on their personal social media feeds. And when goals are realistic, employees feel happier and are less likely to disengage. Using gamification for compliance training, such as incorporating interactive videos, quizzes, etc., provides a different approach that can bring in some fun and help to apply the training concepts to employees work day. Talk to them. What distinguishes competitions that unleash creativity from competitions that cause unethical behaviors? Youll also want to consider the intended purpose of the competition whether it is to improve performance, raise money, promote healthy habits, gamify training or improve team bonding. This approach unifies employees around a common goal and helps eliminate the risk of creating a negative environment where people focus on individually winning. Competitive intelligence follows ethical standards to prevent legal issues as this is used as a systematic tool to monitor competitors actions and behavior. But with some careful planning, a few key considerations, and our 11-point team building checklist, you can make sure your event goes perfectly. You cant go wrong with the classic large cardboard thermometer. Dont Let CompetitionSpiral into a Toxic Culture:It isabsolutely integralto ensure thatworkplacecompetitionnever takes a downward spiral into a culture of bullying or excessive work hours. Leaders can generateexcitement by highlighting the potential positive consequences of competition (e.g., the recognition and rewards that await outstanding performers) rather than creating anxiety by singling out and highlighting low performers. May it be swimming, football, or two employees competing for a promotion, there is no difference in objective. These results suggest that how a competition makes people feel plays a crucial role for how they try to win. In this article, we cover what workplace competitions are, why they are important and some ideas for how you can get started with organizing your own workplace competitions. If there is low interest or the competition is leading to hostility between employees, then this is a sign that it may not be the right type of competition. The way forward: Chinas priorities in 2023. His biggest reason? Unit 6 , Team Valley Trading Estate, Gateshead, UK, NE11 0BU. A large variety of professions will require you to interpret and analyze data at some point. Gamification makes employee learning and training more interactive and engaging. By framing the competition in this way, you can stimulate a competitive angle while unifying employees under a common goal. Our clients and their employees are doing great things in their communities. For example, programmers and physicists use abstract thinking when learning how a program or system functions. Dont create unnecessary conflict with your co-workers by turning everything into a competition, says Betsy Winkler at PeopleResults. 10 contest ideas for your team. 9. Here are 10 team strengths and weaknesses examples in the workplace: 1. But employees can also outperform their competition through innovation. Compete Against Yourself. Jane Engs. Trying to maintain a competitive mindset 24/7 can be tough on morale. But the good news is that it can be done effectively, it doesnt have to be difficult, it can be done in tandem with and can even boost collaboration, and it presents opportunities for amazing outcomes. On the other hand, workforce competition is essential because it so often leads to innovation. As a natural byproduct of evolution, competition helps ensure that each individual gains the maximum amount of resources to survive and procreate. In one instance, they invited 11 employee teams from all over the United States to give a four-minute pitch of their best ideas followed by five minutes of critique from senior officials drawn from the health departments many branches. We thus focused on different ways that executivescould frame the consequences of competition. We have conducted several studies showing that when employees interpret their arousal from a competition as anxiety, they are less likely to select creative behaviors to solve problems, and more likely to be unethical. Although deck out your desk contests are typically Christmas-themed, they can also be secular, which makes them more inclusive for all employees. For example, at Outback Team Building & Training, our Human Resources department works tirelessly to ensure our employees are happy at work. The Pros and Cons of Competition Among Employees - Harvard In this example, the more soldiers you have in your army, the better. You might not be able to make your email look exactly like your website, but it can give a good reflection of your already established style. And employees that are not interested in competing can cheer on their colleagues from the sidelines. For this reason, a cook-off or bake-off are enjoyable opportunities for employees to bond over food. It helps them grow, accept defeat, and learn humility. Specifically, we asked 457 managers of an international retail bank to choose a course of action in two customer service scenarios. Black Church, St. Marys Place, Dublin 7, Ireland. When they feel anxious, theyre more likely to cut corners or sabotage one another. For example, the sales cultures adopted by many banks in recent years ridicule those who miss targets. However, this natural desire to compete doesnt have to be a negative feature. 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