askST Jobs: My colleague and I are up for the same promotion. Can we still work well together?
Employees should avoid undermining colleagues to get ahead.
When colleagues vie for the same promotion, tensions can arise, as the success of one can feel like a setback for the other. To maintain a healthy work relationship, experts advise focusing on personal strengths and aspirations rather than undermining a peer's weaknesses. Tan Weixi, a managing partner at Workplace Asia, suggests that employees should clearly communicate the value they bring and make their ambitions known.
He also emphasizes that managers play a crucial role in making the promotion process transparent by clearly outlining selection criteria. Sam Neo, founder of Stories of Asia, notes that the reaction of the person who does not receive the promotion is largely influenced by how the winner interacts with them. Neo advises the promoted individual to foster a supportive relationship by learning to adapt to their new role while maintaining respect for their former peer.
Ultimately, Tan stresses that while competition is natural, it should not lead to adversarial behavior. Organisations should foster an environment where employees can compete without resorting to undermining each other.
Written by urgent.news from Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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