Internal contests – what are they? One of the methods of motivation, an element of corporate culture or a fashionable trend? If the former, can they really motivate employees to perform their tasks? And how justified is it to hold such contests at a particular company? Find the answers to these questions in our article.
Properly organized contests can become an indispensable and multifunctional tool for solving a very wide range of professional and personnel tasks. Traditionally, the following goals are set when organizing internal competitions:
The results of internal competitions form a “basis for the future” for HR: they provide material for the creation of a high-quality personnel reserve. Fitting into the corporate culture, they increase the level of employee loyalty to the company. In addition, different types of contests can perform other tasks in the company.
The desire to receive recognition of their true merits from others is one of the basic properties of human nature. At the same time, not only a cash prize, but also a well-organized “gambling” employee competition can act as a real incentive. Incentive competitions for the title of “best” are designed to encourage the team to achieve high performance at work. In this way, employees’ efforts to win directly translate into increased company profits.
Important note: this method of stimulating staff should be used in a timely manner. Incentive competitions are effective at a certain stage of the company’s development – the stage of stability, when the organization has already had a period of formation and rapid growth, has developed a positive organizational culture. Otherwise, competitive elements often lead to the emergence of unhealthy competition, accompanied by negative emotions – envy and aggression.
They are aimed at strengthening and developing corporate culture, team building, improving the work atmosphere. With proper preparation and creativity, corporate competitions can be an effective substitute for expensive team-building events or trips. In addition, unlike one-off outings and parties, contests help to form a tradition of organizing joint events within the team, which is conducive to creating a friendly atmosphere in the company and strengthening interpersonal relations.
These contests are organized to solve a specific task or urgent problem facing the company. To encourage employees to come up with new ideas or an out-of-the-box approach to solving a complex problem, an innovation contest can be held. Such an event will also help identify people with initiative – their potential can bring great benefits to the company in the future. For talented employees who, due to various circumstances, are “in the shadows,” this is a great opportunity to demonstrate themselves.
Competitions can also help identify employees for vacant positions or for groups implementing a new project. With this approach, the company, on the one hand, reduces the cost of recruiting specialists, and on the other hand, increases the motivation of employees interested in career development.
As you can see, employee contests can bring a lot of benefits to your company, provided you know what specific goals you want to achieve.
main photo: unsplash.com/Redd
