Let's Talk About The Competition Between Coworkers

The competition is part of the "job description" of each of us. Everyone wants to be the best, but that doesn't mean we should be in a constant battle with our colleagues.

However, the fact that in many companies office competition turns into a kind of war is not to be ignored. So what to do? How can you show your value and have a good relationship with your other colleagues at the same time?

When is the competition between coworkers?

"I think office competition is present in all companies. People are by their nature more or less competitive.

Even if we work in a team, each of us has individual tasks, the fulfillment of which can bring us promotion, recognition, and job and other satisfactions that derive from it ". An essential thing is that each employee knows and respects their duties exactly.

As long as you do your job very well, it is more than likely that you will be able to stand out as a basic employee without coming into conflict with other team members.

"Most of the time, I saw the competition between colleagues in the sales department. When you fight to get as many customers as possible and to receive as many commissions as possible, you become more and more competitive and agile in prospecting the market, finding new customers and.

Another cause maybe when the boss challenges you to a competition, to a meeting, for example, when he says that the first to bring a new idea to help the project be better, receive the amount of X money, salary bonus.

Or another example is when he challenges you to look for 5 new ideas a week and you receive a Y euro salary bonus. boss, the satisfaction of being able to complete a task before your colleagues and maybe the list could go on. "

Competition - beneficial or not?

"Competition is beneficial until it becomes 'paranoid'. If employees find competition stimulating, without affecting their relationships, it is ok to have such a thing in a company.

If the employees are already hiding important information for the whole company just to be in the first place, we can't talk about anything beneficial. "Putting them on wheels" or trying to avoid teamwork is a bad sign. " In the end, I think it's all about knowing your limits and trying to overcome them only to the extent that it doesn't affect others.

How does competition affect the relationship between colleagues?

"When it comes to the negative side of everything that means competitiveness, the relationship between colleagues can get colder, gossip can appear, there may not be the same communication as before, or it may disappear almost completely.

Once the relationship between some colleagues it spoils, the negative effects can extend to others, but also to the company - influencing its performance ". Creating a pleasant work environment should be a goal for all companies.

Each employee is an important part of a system that represents the company itself. When one of the parts stops working, the whole system will definitely be affected. Communication is essential in such a situation, so it is now in any interpersonal relationship.

From rivalry to a good collegial relationship

If the competition has negative effects, there are a number of measures that can be taken to rectify the situation.

• To intervene the general manager to calm the spirits and try to bring back the whole process of communication between colleagues on the right path.
• To intervene a specialist in internal communication, either an employee (some companies have special departments for this), or someone from outside to identify where this negative competitiveness came from, to talk in turn with those involved, and to reach each with concrete solutions that lead to problem-solving.
• The very involvement of those colleagues in a common project that requires teamwork could lead to the resumption of a good relationship of collegiality.
• It would be auspicious to have a little relaxation at the office, a little goodwill, even the involvement of employees in a team building that would allow them to work in a team, but also fun.

The repercussions of office rivalry

Nothing just goes by without a series of repercussions.

• Decreased performance;
• Increasing the tension at the office;
• Distracting attention and therefore getting out of work;
• If you become more attentive to the results of the colleagues you are competing with, you risk not taking into account the results obtained by you;
• Employees work less and less in the team;
• There is a state of discomfort in the company.

Office competition is "healthy" as long as it is followed by certain rules known to everyone, including managers.

When it becomes the cause of unethical actions, you have a choice between entering the game with all your weapons or retreating to another work environment. In your experience, who wins in such a confrontation?