Employees can be nearly as competitive as Olympic athletes. But is their competitiveness good or bad for the contact center?
Nearly half of all leaders in a recent OfficeTeam survey said their employees have become more competitive with each other in the last several years.
Healthy competition is often a good thing for meeting goals and building morale in a contact center. But some agents can take it too far with a win-at-no-cost attitude.
Here are five competitor employees who might go over the line trying to win – and what you can do to handle them best.
- The pole vaulter jumps to take on the high-profile assignments, leaving the back office jobs to everyone else. Tip: Ask for volunteers for key assignments and assign according to strengths. In some cases, ask wallflowers to take on something the vaulter might try to do.
- The boxer has a jab for everyone in the office – snide remarks, sarcastic email, muttered insults. The boxer tries to bring down everyone. Tip: Ask the boxer for solutions when complaints or snide remarks are made.
- The sprinter aims to be the first one done, even if the results are sloppy. Tip: Don’t let the sprinter cut corners to get ahead of others. Ask him to double-check work or work with people who are more thorough on projects.
- The gymnast will bend and twist facts to make sure she and her work is seen in the best light. She may try to flip around others’ accomplishments. Tip: Make her accountable for her work. Ask her to document what she’s done and how she did it so there’s little room for embellishing the truth.
- The marathoner will go on and on – at the water cooler or a friend’s cubicle, that is, talking gossip and “big fish” stories. He will use office politics to get ahead, rather than his own abilities. Tip: Take what he says with a grain of salt. Ask him to back up his ideas with facts.
