Competition at Workplace – Advantages and Disadvantage of Competition

Competition is inevitable in the workplace. Each employee is trying to outdo another employee in his or her performance levels. An employer appreciates an employee who performs well or rather excellently.

We live in a competitive world now. Everywhere there is competition. Even countries are competing with each other at various levels. So, it is but natural, that at the workplace also one faces competition.

What is workplace competition all about?

An employer judges an employee on the basis of his or her performance levels. An employee is evaluated in comparison with other employees. In order to go up the ladder of success, the employee has to show better results than his or her co-employee. His or her output at work has to be of a higher level than others in order to get a promotion or a pay hike. If he or she performs well, then he or she is compensated well monetarily.

Management encourages competition in order to motivate employees and get better results from them in work matters. Even in sports, one athlete is competing with another athlete to win the race. The same principle applies in the workplace. Every employee wants to be in the good books of his or her employer. By performing well he or she wins his or her appreciation.

Benefits of Competition – Advantages of Competition

• Greater productivity.
• Better quality of work.
• Delivery of work on time. In other words deadlines are met.
• A work-oriented staff.
• Higher profits.

Disadvantage of Competition

• Too much stress.
• Work pressure affects health of employee.
• The employee may not be too sympathetic towards his or her employees as he or she may be interested only in results.
• Team spirit may get affected as each employee would be suspicious of the other person’s motives.
• Unhealthy competition. One employee bringing down another employee through malpractices in order to supercede the person.

Healthy competition is good for a company. Unhealthy competition can lead to frictions among employees. A cooperative spirit among employees is essential to make profits.