If you’ve ever seen the critically acclaimed play or movie version of Glengarry Glen Ross, you know competition among employees can get cutthroat. First prize: a Cadillac; second prize: a set of steak knives; third prize: You’re fired. And while you probably don’t want that sort of back-and-forth in your company, some well-intentioned competition can help employees do their best and go beyond simply doing what’s needed.
- It boosts motivation. When employers put forth some sort of contest to see who can hit their goals/make the most sales, that sort of competition urges employees to step up and vie for top place. They begin to seek out new clients, try new methods or work more efficiently to get the desired numbers. And it doesn’t hurt to have a (positive) reward at the end of it, ranging from a cash prize to an award to a paid trip, either for pleasure or for some sort of job-enhancing conference.
- It keeps everyone sharp. Consider if you’re in business, you’re already competing with other companies in your industry. And whoever has the best product or customer service — whoever keeps clients coming back for more and gaining new ones — wins that competition. So, it stands to reason to use that as extra motivation for your employees, encouraging them to keep updated on industry trends and technologies to see how best to leverage them for the company. You can use that to foster competition among employees as well, seeing who can find that next new idea and put it to use.
- It can bring people together. Many offices enter friendly competitions for weight loss: They all follow a program, throw in a certain amount of money and the person who loses the most weight by a certain time wins the cash. Along the way, while each person strives to healthily drop the pounds, they all encourage each other and support each other. You can do that in your own office, either getting employees healthy or focusing on meeting certain numbers (say, 10 percent higher sales this quarter than the same one in 2016). When everyone strives to meet the same goal, the company does better overall.
Competition, when executed thoughtfully and positively, can “lift all boats,” to paraphrase. For help finding your next competitive hire, reach out to the PrideStaff Thousand Oaks and Ventura County staffing professionals today!
