The rate-your-employer site could be scaring away good employees. Are you taking steps to improve your rating?
Have you checked your Glassdoor rating? Do yourself a favour if you haven’t. Visit Glassdoor, and competitor Rate My Employer, type in your organization name and see what the reviews say. You might be surprised.
While it’s not as far reaching or accurate as an employee survey, these can be the first thing a potential candidate finds. Even if 80% of your employees say they’re satisfied with their job, the five per cent who are miserable can have a big impact on your employer branding.
From major chains accused of an “intense culture of overwork” to a major Canadian transport company described as having “dysfunctional management” – but is it all bad news? The upside of these sites is the opportunity for organizations to walk the talk of transparency.
“On Unilever’s careers page, it encourages job seekers to ‘visit our page on Glassdoor for candidates and employee testimonials’. The company has described everyone who comments on Glassdoor as an ambassador – despite the fact not every review is 100 per cent flattering,” People Management editor Jeffery said. “You could also try providing an ‘employer response’ – in the same way many hotels gain kudos for proactively replying to negative reviews. Or you could encourage your employees to find their own voice on social media, to drive workforce collaboration and win trust by being more transparent on important issues.”
Some organizations try to ban contributing, which is not only a difficult policy to enforce but sends entirely the wrong message to employees. “We would rather enforce your silence than have an honest discussion about what we can improve on.”
Instead, try encouraging employees to post about the company and aim to get a wide range of posts rather than just the squeaky wheels.
