HR Question:

How do Glassdoor reviews impact our company and our recruiting efforts?

HR Answer:

Glassdoor is the answer to the un-asked Million-Dollar Question: “What do people, especially my employees, really think of my company?” In the business world today, we rely on word of mouth, feedback from others, and social media to gain followers, clients, and employees (especially millennials). We use reviews on Google, Facebook, and other sites to gauge what the outside world is thinking of us, but Glassdoor provides a look into what current and previous employees think.

Why Do Job Seekers Use Glassdoor?

Reviews drive our decisions as we make purchases, select service providers (contractors, plumbers, etc.), choose restaurants, and more! It’s no surprise that job seekers want to gain insight into a company before choosing to apply.

For job seekers, Glassdoor has been a “go-to site” for researching potential companies to gain a better understanding of the culture, the realities of the work environment, and to envision if they can see themselves as a part of the company.

According to recruitingdaily.com, job seekers use Glassdoor in the several ways, including the following: 

• To find the top companies in a given industry and to learn what people say about them
• To get an inside look with minimal risk if they’re unsure about a company in the job search process
• To check out a company’s page before “saying yes” to the job offer

Responding to Your Company’s Glassdoor Reviews

It’s incredibly important to know what is being said about your company online. In terms of best practices, you should have someone dedicated to checking Glassdoor reviews to see what people are saying and to respond to all reviews – both positive and negative.

Positive reviews about your company can go a long way in giving the job seeker validation that you provide a great place to work! Sometimes positive reviews can be the tipping point for job seekers to compel them to apply for your job openings or to accept your job offers.

Conversely, negative Glassdoor reviews can “hurt” you in the same way bad reviews on products and services impact buyers’ decisions on resources like Amazon, Yelp, or Google. There is a way to carefully navigate negative reviews – it’s all in the way you respond. It’s important that you acknowledge negative comments and provide a thoughtful response. Doing this shows that you value the feedback that has been given and you want to take steps to make it better. In fact, 62% of job seekers reported that their perception of a company improves after seeing an employer respond positively to a review.

When responding to reviews (whether that’s Glassdoor, Indeed, Google, or otherwise), consider some of these do’s and don’ts:

Do:

• Respond quickly and politely.
• Acknowledge their concern by either showing how the company is changing/progressing or by indicating a desire to investigate the situation more. The latter option is best if you aren’t completely confident the feedback is factual or valid, especially if you lack hard evidence.
• Thank them for their thoughts and provide the next steps or a way to continue the conversation.

Don’t

• Focus only on negative reviews or ignore them
• Avoid hostile tones, excessive detail, or making excuses.
• Cut and paste responses, showing a lack of consideration for each individual response.

What If the Review Isn’t True?

Although negative reviews are hard to hear, consider a few things. Is it true? Are there ways this situation could have been perceived by one party versus another? Or, better yet, how can you make it into a positive? “How?”, you say? Consider where these reviews are coming from. The reviews come from current and former employees who see the good, bad, and ugly. Many times, negative reviews can provide an opportunity for change and growth within your company. If you’re planning on asking for reviews from your current employees, be prepared to deal with all reviews in a constructive and culture-focused manner. Although the removal of comments is rare, you can petition Glassdoor to remove a review if it is unfounded.

That being said, negative reviews can be turned into a positive opportunity. Once the initial shock or frustration subsides, use this opportunity to learn from the review. Again, is this review true? How could this individual’s perception of your organization have influenced their review? What action can your team take to prevent the perception from being formed in the future?

Glassdoor reviews affect not only potential new employees, but also can affect customers/clients too. While one or two reviews, when handled professionally, will not make or break you, the reviews can have a lingering effect on your organization. With positive online reviews, you may see a slight increase in candidate applications or client calls, while bad reviews might slightly depress the number of responses you see.

Online reviews can be difficult. Many times, candidates have already formed their opinion about your company and the interview just validates their opinion. If there are negative reviews out there, providing your candidates with an exceptional positive experience will help to overcome any negative comments about your company.

Leveraging Glassdoor as a Valuable Recruiting Resource

In the end, make sure you’re timely when responding to Glassdoor reviews. Utilize this resource to attract talented individuals who are looking for that cultural fit. Remember, there are always two sides to every story. If you come up against a bad Glassdoor review, respond professionally, spin it into a positive review, and make sure you learn from it!

If you don’t have reviews, consider developing a campaign to encourage employees to share their experiences on Glassdoor. This may feel daunting, but what you can learn (both positive and opportunity for improvement) will give you valuable insight to strengthen your company culture and recruiting efforts.

Special thanks to Sherri Hume, SHRM-CP, for contributing to this edition of our HR Question of the Week!

Strategic HR provides a variety of resources to help you find the help you need. We offer outsourced recruiting, on-site contract assistance or contingency placement. We can create a plan that’s a custom fit for your specific recruitment needs. Please visit our Recruitment page for more information.