Employee review sites, one of the most popular being Glassdoor, have become highly sought-after resources to post and read reviews. In today’s competitive job market, it is crucial that you learn what employees are saying about you online and be proactive about encouraging current employees to write positive reviews–to attract and retain top talent and support the long-term success of your company.
Establishing, repairing, and boosting your Glassdoor ratings is doable, but it requires a strategic plan. Our tips below will get you started on doing damage control and/or harnessing the power of Glassdoor, but remember, in order to ensure that only outstanding reviews are posted about you, you must be a superb employer.
1. Claim and/or update your Employer account. Even if you’ve never visited Glassdoor in your life, that doesn’t mean employees aren’t talking about you. In fact, employees can create a page for your company and being posting. Your first step in improving your Glassdoor ratings is to create your free employer account and either establish or update your company’s profile (if one was created for you by an employee). Ensure that all contact information is correct. Once this is done, you have the capability to read, respond to, and flag reviews. Plus, as an employer, you get access to Glassdoor’s Employer Center, where you can review your page’s analytics, connect with other employers, and more.
2. Be proactive about encouraging employees to post positive reviews. This tip comes from our very own Suzanne Rupert, Director of Recruiting at TAI. She recommends assigning a point person the task of reaching out to employees to write a review and create a schedule so that reviews are posted regularly (though not all at once, as an influx of reviews on your page can look suspicious to employees researching your company). Have your point person reach out to happy employees who have been at your company for several years first. If they’re not sure what to post, encourage them to write about what it’s like to work at the company and to describe the company culture–things that non-employees wouldn’t know unless they worked there.
3. Check and respond to reviews on a regular basis. If you don’t think you need to respond to reviews about your company, whether they’re positive, negative, or neutral, remember: candidates are always watching. According to internal Glassdoor data, almost 62% of job candidates report when they see an employer respond respectfully to a review, their perception of that organization changes. Plus, being proactive about responding to reviews makes employees feel like they’re truly being heard, which will help you retain your current A-players and attract more top candidates.
It’s easy to respond to positive reviews on Glassdoor, but what about when reviews are negative. According to Rupert, even outstanding employers hire the wrong people who will rant about them online. She recommends that employers act appropriately, as in, take the time to respond because it demonstrates that you really listen to employee or former employee concerns.
