How comparison at work can adversely affect your work productivity

Everything is so fast in this world that Millennials are craving for success at a high pace. In order to stand first in this race, we keep a track on how far are we from our competitors. What we often fail to understand is that, if you keep an eye on your competitors, you may end up tripping in the race and might also lag behind. The same theory applies to professional competition as well. It is a human tendency to closely scrutinize what your colleague is doing to make sure that you stay one step ahead of him. Comparison at work is not harmful as long as it’s healthy. But if it gets out of hand, then your work productivity is at stake.

Healthy competition is usually promoted among the employees by the manager. This is mainly so that employees compete among one another and strive to be better at whatever they do. But there is a thin line between healthy competition and comparison at work. It might get fatal when this line is crossed. It will be fatal not for anyone else but for your personal growth. This means that the time and energy you could utilize for your personal betterment, you would use that to keep a track of what the person next to you is doing.

Comparison at work is not harmful as long as it’s healthy.

Why is it important to avoid comparison at work

It is important to note that comparison at work is not only a waste of your time and energy but also hinders work productivity. This takes place as a part of your mind is occupied on comparing your progress with that of your colleague. Such repeated thoughts may develop negative feelings in the long run. The comparison will practically take place between individuals belonging to the same department. One needs to coordinate with such individuals on an everyday basis. Hence if there are negative feelings, it will be difficult to work together.

A number of psychological researches have proved that when an individual’s mind is focused on one particular goal, he tends to achieve it faster that when his mind is preoccupied with other thoughts. The same might happen in the case of comparison at work as well. If one focuses solely on his work productivity, it will reflect in his efficiency. Also, it is necessary to maintain cordial relations with everyone at work. Not only numbers, but even your behavior is considered at the time of appraisal.

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