How to Deal with Competition in the Workplace (Without the Stress)

Competition in the workplace is a reality most employees encounter. It’s a natural byproduct of striving for success, promotions, and recognition. While healthy competition can drive innovation and personal growth, toxic competition can lead to stress, resentment, and even burnout.

Understanding how toxic competition in the workplace plays out is key to avoiding it when you can and handling it well when you need to. So, why does it happen? What are the consequences? How do you deal with a competitive coworker? We’ll dig into all of those questions  below.

What’s behind workplace competition?

Workplace competition arises from a variety of factors. It’s often tied to limited resources—such as promotions, raises, or leadership opportunities—that create a need to stand out. A culture emphasizing individual performance can also foster competition, particularly when success metrics are highly visible or linked to rewards. External influences like market pressures and organizational demands can also contribute.

Female competition in the workplace: Is it more common among women?

Competition is not inherently gendered—though multiple studies found a competitiveness gap between men and women, with men being the most competitive—but societal expectations and stereotypes can influence how competition manifests among women, particularly in male-dominated industries. 

The Women in the Workplace 2023 report conducted by McKinsey & Company in partnership with LeanIn.Org shows that 60% of women feel they need to work harder than their male counterparts to prove themselves. 

The study also highlights that women are less likely to receive feedback related to career advancement compared to their male counterparts. This lack of feedback can contribute to women's added pressure to outperform their peers and become a competitive female coworker—which shows that competing isn't an innate feminine trait, but a product of the circumstances. 

“In my experience, women are more willing to share that they struggle in competitive work environments,” says Eloïse Eonnet, leadership and communication coach at The Muse and Fairygodboss. “I don’t think that men struggle less, but they definitely don’t tell me they do as openly.” 

Psychological factors also play a role. “When my female clients share that they are struggling, it is often linked to fears of failure,” Eonnet says. “Fear of failure comes from many things, including comparing ourselves to others, getting in our own heads, setting unattainable goals, or taking on things that don’t serve us.”

Not all competition is bad: Examples of health competition in the workplace

Being competitive in the workplace can be healthy when it boosts productivity, sparks innovation, and motivates personal growth. But it can turn toxic when it leads to stress, harms teamwork, and creates a negative environment.

Examples of health competition in the workplace could include friendly sales contests where the focus is on improving performance, or setting clear benchmarks for personal growth and achievement. In these cases, the goal is to raise everyone’s game, not undermine others.

Toxic competition, on the other hand, may involve sabotaging a colleague’s work to gain an advantage or taking sole credit for a group project. These behaviors create division and damage the collaborative spirit necessary for a healthy workplace.

Read this next: 6 Signs a Workplace Is Toxic (And 3 Times It's Not)

4 signs of unhealthy competition in the workplace

Unhealthy competition can manifest subtly, but its impact on workplace dynamics is significant. Identifying the signs early can help mitigate potential conflicts and foster a healthier environment.

1. There’s a focus on individual wins over team success

While individual wins are great, when they overshadow the team's collective progress, it’s a red flag. If you find yourself thinking, “Wait, didn’t we all contribute to this?” it might be time to check if the focus has shifted away from team success.

2. People seem constantly stressed and overwhelmed

Do you ever feel like you’re running a race you didn’t sign up for? That’s how a lot of employees feel when unhealthy competition takes over. The constant pressure to outperform peers continuously can lead to burnout, diminishing both mental health and job performance.

3. You notice people cutting corners to stay ahead

There’s always that person rushing through their work or skipping steps to meet an impossible deadline. It can seem like they’re doing whatever it takes to stay on top. Cutting corners might seem like a shortcut, but it can harm the integrity of the work—and the whole team. If it becomes the norm, it can create a toxic environment where ethical lines get blurred.

4. Colleagues getting overly protective of their tasks

Have you ever noticed a colleague becoming really secretive about their work, almost like they're afraid someone might steal their ideas? This behavior can stifle collaboration and limit the free flow of ideas within the team. It may also signal a workplace culture where coworkers frequently take credit for others' ideas—something that colleague may be trying to avoid.

How to deal with competition in the workplace

In a competitive workplace, it can be easy to feel the pressure to constantly outperform your colleagues. However, thriving in such an environment requires more than just staying ahead—it’s about finding ways to grow, collaborate, and maintain a healthy work-life balance. 

Here are some strategies to help you not just survive but excel when dealing with competitive coworkers and an overall competitive work environment.

Recognize your worth without falling into the competition trap

In a competitive workplace, the desire for recognition can make professionals more prone to comparison and unhealthy competition. Instead of getting caught up in external validation, focus on knowing your own value. “Know your strengths and remind yourself of them regularly—remove the need for external confirmation that you have them,” Eonnet says. “This self-knowledge and self-trust are your bedrock to success, especially in challenging moments.” 

Stay out of the drama

Toxic competition in the workplace often leads to other issues like badmouthing, gossiping, and talking about coworkers behind their backs. It’s easy to get pulled into the chaos, but you should stay out of it and focus on what you can control.

“My golden rule is to remember that your colleagues are not your friends—pure and simple, even if they’re friendly,” Eonnet says. “Given that, gossip is off the table, venting is not allowed, and respect guides relationships. Don’t initiate gossip or venting, and shut it down as soon as someone tries to do it with you.”

Work on becoming more assertive 

If being steamrolled by your competitive coworkers in meetings or brainstorming sessions is a common occurrence, working on your assertiveness can help. “Be assertive about what you know and think,” Eonnet says. “‘I’ statements are a valuable way to express your thoughts and needs assertively.” 

For example, she suggests using sentences like the ones below:

• I appreciate your input, and I'd like to add…

• I have a different viewpoint, which is…

• I'd like to express my support for…

• I strongly believe that…

• I'm concerned about…

“These statements project confidence, ownership, and leadership,” Eonnet says.

Set clear boundaries

Let’s say a coworker is pushing you too hard—maybe they’re always asking you to help with tasks outside your job description, believing that everyone should be putting in extra time to “beat the competition.” Or perhaps they’re constantly asking for updates on your progress, trying to compare their work to yours.

If you feel pressured to constantly overcommit when there's no real emergency, it’s time to start saying no. “Get comfortable with saying no without having to justify yourself,” Eonnet says. “No is no—it is not a conversation.” 

(Of course, sometimes you'll need to provide an explanation. For those times, we have plenty of advice on how to politely decline extra work, with examples of what to say, right here.)

Take advantage of the situation

In a perfect world, we would all be able to stay 100% true to our values at all times. But in reality, there are instances where it’s not easy—or even impossible—to say no and avoid certain dynamics. If that's the case at your workplace, try to make it work in your favor.

Taking the example of being asked to take on extra work, if you can't always say no, determine  “what your bandwidth is to take on more work at any given time,” Eonnet says. “Then think of that time as an opportunity for you to choose where you’ll spend it.” 

This means being selective (if possible) with the tasks you accept based on how they could benefit you and your career. “Every time you take on more work, you are choosing to do so,” she says. “Reasons can be: 1. to build a relationship with a specific person, 2. to get exposure to leadership or a key client, 3. to learn a skill or competency that you need to develop. Be clear on your criteria and don't waste your time.”

This is what Eonnet calls taking ownership, a mindset she often discusses with her clients. “I work with my clients to think differently about how to reach their goals and to take ownership of their approach,” she says. “Mindset is key. Operating from a place of fear generally isn’t sustainable and leads to burnout.”

Make yourself visible to leadership

If you feel the need to assert that you're a valuable member of the team, doing so through visibility is key. Instead of engaging in toxic competitive dynamics with your colleagues, focus on maintaining an open channel of communication with your manager. “Be visible—share your accomplishments and always tie them to the bigger picture and leadership goals,” Eonnet says.

Seek professional and emotional support

If the toxic behavior includes bullying, harassment, or unfair treatment, document these incidents in detail. If your boss is part of the competitive environment, it can feel tricky to speak up, but you still have options, like reaching out to HR to report the issue. They can offer support and help you find a way to address the issue without compromising your position.

Outside of work, consider seeking a mental health professional for emotional support. This is especially important if you feel like you're in a male-dominated field and have to work harder than your male coworkers.

“Any kind of discrimination has a deep impact on the person on the receiving end,” Eonnet says. “Whether overt or implicit—and it is most often implicit today—sexism leads to feelings of shame, anger, exhaustion, and failure, among other things.” 

Read this next: 8 Valid Reasons to Report Your Boss, and How to Do It

Shifting workplace culture: What leaders can do

Organizations also have a role to play in managing workplace competition. Leaders should promote a culture that values collaboration alongside individual achievement. This includes:

• Recognizing teamwork: Companies should celebrate team successes as much as individual accomplishments.

• Offering resources: “Providing stress management resources to employees, such as mindfulness classes or team retreats, will help to avoid competition turning into conflict,” says Olivia Thomson, HR Consultant at ChamberofCommerce.org. “Leaders who provide these tools related to mental health or flexible work hours, allow employees to better cope with competing demands.”

• Providing equal opportunities: Organizations should ensure transparency in promotions and rewards.

• Encouraging open dialogue: Creating channels for employees to voice concerns without fear of repercussions can help prevent misunderstandings and address issues before they escalate.

When companies focus on creating a supportive environment, it's easier for employees to deal with competition in a healthy way and value teamwork to achieve common goals over rivalry.