Workforces become more competitive as group creates workplace productivity metric

Posted by Justin Hesser on July 20, 2012

According to a new survey from OfficeTeam, 41 percent of office managers believe their workplaces to be somewhat more competitive than last year. In addition, 8 percent say their workforce is significantly more competitive than it’s previously been. This shift to a more competitive workplace may also mark an overall increase in office productivity, something that can be measured by managers with custom database software.

“A little friendly competition in the office is healthy if it inspires great individual and team performance,” said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. “Rivalry between co-workers can become more intense when the economy is uncertain and people feel pressure to prove themselves. Although it’s natural for employees to want to stand out among their colleagues, it shouldn’t be at the expense of others.”

While competition requires a form of measurement, one group of HR managers are trying to create a national standard that gauges the value of a workforce. According to BusinessWeek, a group of 600 HR managers, academics and advisers are creating a way to measure workforce productivity, diversity, job training, turnover and other human resource issues.

In addition, this group is creating a template for a way that companies can communicate this information with shareholders, to help these important board members who are typically away from the workforce understand how productive and efficient the organization is running.

While this national metric is still in development, having a standard performance metric is a great way to induce healthy workplace productivity. By using custom database software to not only measure the standard but also rank and track employees’ progress and standings among each other, companies can help turn a normally dull work environment into one of competition and striving for excellence.