Glassdoor, much like other review sources like Yelp, often attract people who are unhappy. As a culture, we’re conditioned to speak out when we’re upset or feel like we’ve been wronged, and sites like Glassdoor and Yelp are proof of that.
When we’re happy at our jobs, we’re encouraged to tone it down so as not to brag or make anyone feel bad if they’re in a less-than-stellar situation. When we’re dissatisfied, as humans we get fired up and want to speak out.
Think about it: When you meet up with your friends for drinks, do you immediately talk about everything that’s going well in your life? Or do you first vent about how annoyed you are with your boss, or how tired you are?In many cases, it’s the latter. It’s just how most humans connect with each other – we don’t want to show off or isolate ourselves by being too well-off in any way.
What we can gather from this is that fulfilled, happy employees are far less likely to leave a review on Glassdoor. Why bother? They’re happy – no complaints. Plus, they’re busy.
On the other hand, fuming ex-employees are likely to take to the Internet to have their voices heard and get “revenge.”
Because of this, there’s often a big disconnect between Glassdoor scores and reality. Glassdoor reviews rarely match what it’s actually like to work at the company.
As an executive at your organization, it’s important to take your score seriously and work proactively to improve it if it’s low, or maintain it if it’s already solid.Why?Glassdoor does a great job with SEO, so when a prospective employee searches for your company, you can expect Glassdoor to be one of the first results that pops up.
If you have a low Glassdoor score that you feel is biased based on bitter ex-employee reviews, these are the three crucial steps you need to take to improve it so that it conveys an accurate picture of what it’s like to work at your company…
Know your rating.Glassdoor gives every company a 0-5 rating. Do you know yours?If you’ve ever been in debt you know that the first step is to simply look at the numbers so you can create a tangible, step-by-step plan to get out of it ASAP. It’s the same with your Glassdoor score. The first step is to know your number.If you don’t know your score, check it out now, and read a few of the reviews. Do you feel like you’re being accurately represented or not? If not, take the next two steps.
Reach out to your top employees to leave an honest review.Now it’s time to be proactive. Email your best, happiest employees personally and ask them to leave a genuine review on Glassdoor.You may choose to provide an incentive, like a small Starbucks gift card. This isn’t bribery by any means – it takes time and energy to leave a review, and by giving a small motivational gift you show your appreciation.A lot of CEOs I know are not proactive about garnering Glassdoor reviews from current employees, and it’s a mistake. They leave their online fate largely to past employees who may be bitter for personal reasons.It’s up to you how you want to approach asking your team members to write reviews. The most important thing is to simply take action and not let your score be tainted by biased, emotionally-driven feedback.
Create a consistent system.Some companies choose to let HR handle their online presence and ratings, while others hand it over to PR.Honestly, it doesn’t matter which department you delegate this task to, you just need to create a system for consistently adding more honest reviews to your profile.Have your HR or PR team reach out to current employees who haven’t responded to your first request (step 2) once per month. New employees should receive a request to write a review 1-3 months into working for you.
Failing to address your Glassdoor score is a mistake that can cost you the top talent. I can’t tell you how many times we at Talentfoot share an opportunity with a prospective candidate and their first question involves the company’s Glassdoor rating.When they see a low score or 10 negative reviews, it makes them second guess joining the organization, which of course, can be very detrimental to a company’s growth and success.
It’s a good thing that the top candidates are concerned with Glassdoor scores, because you want the talent that does their research and is aware of details like this.
What’s your game plan to improve or maintain your Glassdoor score?
When will you reach out to your current employees, and will you have your HR or PR department create a consistent schedule for emailing employees who haven’t left a review yet?
Email us at info@talentfoot.com aswe welcome your thoughts on this important topic.
