A few webinar tips – you will be muted throughout the session so make sure to ask questions in the questions pane and Alison would be happy to answer them along the way.
Set up company alerts Company alerts will be sent to you anytime employees or candidates post content to your profile
Flag Reviews if you feel a review does not meet our company guidelines you can flag it to go back into our review process
Monitor your reputation reputation word clouds help you uncover key themes from reviews on your profile
Identify areas of improvement ensure your message is resonating with the candidates that you are trying to reach
Invite Colleagues to respond once you have a Free Employer Account, its easy to invite co-workers to join the conversation
Intro to reviews on Glassdoor
Use reviews to find out more information about your company and its reputation
Rated out of 5 stars and the categories you see
If you want more info we have a quick video to check out
Consider this, your first impression for many of your potential candidates
Anyone at your company who is in a position to speak on your behalf is an acceptable company representative.
This may include your CEO, PR and Marketing professionals, or other employers responsible for managing your brand.
Note: anyone within the company who responds to reviews as an employer representative will have their title appear next to that employer response.
90% of job seekers find the employer perspective useful when learning about jobs and companies
Set up alerts using your FEA so you’ll know when fresh reviews are posted
46% of Glassdoor members are reading reviews when they have just started their job search and have not yet spoken with a company recruiter or person in charge of hiring.
First impressions are everything. Responses to a review may be the first thing a candidate sees before the recruitment process even starts.
Responding to reviews demonstrates – to job seekers current and former employees – that you are interested in feedback, and that you take employee satisfaction seriously.
Job seekers spend more than five time as long on a site when they interact with bad reviews. They want complete information. They notice when there are no bad reviews and can become suspicious. They will assume that you are censoring feedback. Think about this – you are not losing job seekers by showing bad reviews – you’re steering them toward jobs and companies that won’t disappoint them.
You also only need bad reviews in moderation or risk damaging your brand.
Reevoo Insight Research 2013
other candidates will be reading your response, and you are responding on behalf of your company.
If you believe a poster was out of line -- others will often come to the same conclusion so use the opportunity to show what a gracious and understanding employer you are.
I’d also like to add… when you believe the person writing the review is false advertising, telling lies, or accusing an employer of things that you did not do …. Its prudent to take a deep breath and even sleep on it for a night or two nights if needed!
At Glassdoor, we take a neutral stance in all reviews (we do not act as the finder of fact), there could be false information posted by an angry employee. In these cases, it is best again to respond as professionally as possible while also refuting the post (with fact, not defensiveness.)
These are the hardest ones for folks to reply to, so let’s talk about some other tips that might help.
This is important because it means that just by responding, regardless of what you say, you’re changing the perception of 2/3 of your audience.
Tip #2 -- Saying thank you shows that you are listening and sets you up in a position to be gracious and professional
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Case Study: Chipotle received a negative review and let’s break down how the company dealt with it.
First, a thank you
Then, Chipotle also recognized that Glassdoor reviews are anonymous, and offered an outlet for the employee to go to so Chipotle could address that particular issue the employee was having.
This is Chipotle’s opportunity to show prospective talent how the organization handles problems. Here, the recruitment communications specialist, Jen, is showing how much she cares.
83% of organizations suffer from a deficit in recognition according to a recent Bersin study
Action Plan: Engage with Employees
Show that you’re listening and appreciate the input to make your company an enjoyable place to work
The best approach is to thank your reviewers for providing feedback
If you really do feel that the review includes inaccurate information or a false view of the company, you can flag the review to be re-reviewed by our content team
It’s important to address issues and also show what your plan is to fix those cons mentioned.
Case study: 1-800 Contacts
1-800 Contacts responds to reviews – both good and bad, and importantly, the company states openly that it welcomes both the positive and the negative, setting employees up to feel empowered and comfortable sharing honest feedback.
This company also makes sure to make use of every negative review by stating the solution, such as keeping dialogues open and also the programs they’ve implemented to fix the problem and stand by the culture that they believe in.
Action Plan: Address the Issues
All companies face challenges. Let job seekers and employees know what you are doing to address any changes or issues
Nobody is perfect.
Even negative reviews provide an employer with opportunity to show their authenticity and that they care about their employees.
Consider this free advice to make your company better. By being receptive to the concerns, you give the reviewer a sense of ownership that they contributed to making your company better!
Set Expectations up front by being authentic
Don’t use staged responses
Rather than perfection, today’s candidates want transparency and authenticity from employers. Employees don’t want to wind up with buyers remorse when the job doesn’t meet their expectations down the road.
Case study:
loanDepot takes time to respond to all reviews and tailors the response to each post in an authentic way. The company also address specifics of the review and state the solution in place to work on their strategy. Responses typically close with a genuine expression of how much the employer appreciates the feedback and how that helps them grow as an org and tailor their strategy for success!
Keep in mind, it’s not a terrible thing for people to know your pros and cons. Job seekers with enough knowledge to self-select out of applying for your company before you hire them actually saves you money in the long run.
61% of employees say new job realities differ from expectations set during the interview process.
Be authentic. Sound like a human when you respond.
Acknowledge the Positive
Recognize the position
Don’t only respond to the negative
By only replying to negative reviews. You’re missing out on a large way to influence candidates by highlighting the positive
Case study: Lithium
Lithium does a great job in thanking the employee that wrote the review, acknowledging that they aren’t perfect (which no employer is) and addressing items addressed or brought up in the review. The CEO then states they are working to fix the problem and how they want employees to feel when working there. This reiterates the company’s values and gives a very authentic and genuine response for any person reading the reviews to see both sides and that Lithium is in fact a proactive employer that takes employee feedback seriously.
Action Plan: Highlight the positive
Job seekers use the reviews on Glassdoor to make decisions about where to apply or what job offer to accept, so use a response to emphasize what makes your company an attractive place to work
Refer to one of the reviewers positive comments about your company to both personalize your response and to reiterate the compliment to potential job candidates
Don’t be discouraged by a really bad review. Recognize that bad reviews offer the opportunity to bond with employees and candidates.
Take constructive feedback to heart.
Do not be defense; recognize that even the best companies have room for growth.
In the 1-800 CONTACTS example, an employee left the company with a truly negative outlook. The Director of Software Engineering responded back, which allowed for an open and transparent conversation. And, it allowed the employee and the employer to be heard.
The Director did not come across defensive or short, but rather took the time to carefully craft a kind note back. The note demonstrated that the Director understood the employee’s frustrations, recognized growing pains and also took the opportunity to explain the positive steps the company is taking.
It is crucial that you turn negative feedback into a positive learning experience.