A brilliant employee should in theory be an inspiration to colleagues.
But rather than raising their game, workmates put in a worse performance when in the presence of a high-flier, experts say.
They have called this phenomenon the Tiger Woods Effect after analysing the performances of golfers from 1999 to2010 while Woods was far and away the world number one.
When he was at the peak of his powers, other top players shot worse scores in tournaments in which he participated than they did in similar events if he was absent.
And because of this, Woods earned around £4million more from these contests than he would have done if his rivals had played their normal game.
The remarkable effect on golfers could apply just as much in a workplace, according to the researchers at Chicago's Northwestern University.
In particular, the Tiger factor could affect offices where one worker keeps winning employee of the month or regular bonuses for making the most sales. Instead of trying to compete, other staff like Tiger's opponents simply stop trying as hard because they don't think they are going to win.
