Today’s corporate environment is unique, wherein the employees have greater control of their destiny than ever before. Consequently, job-seeking platforms such as Indeed and Glassdoor have a constantly updated employer review center where past and present employees leave their opinions on their experiences working for employers in all sorts of industries.
Thus, Glassdoor and Indeed reviews are mediums for employees to recommend – or stave off – working for certain companies, and the words expressed in a single review can have a major impact on the decision of a job-seeking individual.
Keep reading to explore how Indeed and Glassdoor reviews can positively and negatively impact your business, as well as ways to approach and utilize them for recruitment purposes. Although there are many prominent job-seeker websites on the internet, Glassdoor and Indeed contain built-in company review centers, not to mention their consistent placements atop small business and mid-market job search site lists.
Here’s a quick look at these two giants of job-seeking.
Indeed
Launched in 2004, Indeed’s meteoric rise to becoming one of the top job search platforms on the internet has been in no small part thanks to its excellent accessibility-rich features for prospective employees and employers alike. Serving as the hiring medium for companies of all shapes and sizes, their job boards are especially saturated with entry-level positions.
Indeed’s service also allows employers to search for candidates with specific qualifications, experience levels, and resumes across the millions of prospective employee profiles on the website. This helps massively when the time comes to sift through the hundreds of potential applications one listing may receive, and the platform also offers pay-per-click sponsored listing plans.
Glassdoor
Glassdoor also maintains a job search engine where prospective employees can apply to job listings from companies across all industries. However, this company’s claim to fame derives chiefly from its company rating service, where former and current employees can rate their employer’s work culture.
Founded in 2007, Glassdoor’s company reviews forum has a twofold purpose. The platform allows employers to showcase their brand’s culture and values, increasing the likelihood of attracting compatible candidates. It also serves as a repository for job seekers to make informed decisions, helping them analyze the pros and cons of working for a specific set of employers.
Glassdoor & Indeed’s Appeal to Job Seekers
Job seekers value platforms like Glassdoor and Indeed for the same reasons consumers utilize resources like Amazon Customer Reviews, Angie’s List, or specific product reviews to make informed purchases. We need to gain the most insight possible before making an important decision – especially one which, in the case of job hunting, can be life-changing.
As briefly discussed, employees have more power over their work-life destinies than ever before, thanks to the ease of access provided by job-seeking websites. Glassdoor is especially vital for analyzing potential businesses to better understand their work environments and cultures. The information offered by this platform helps job hunters judge whether they’d fit into these respective equations as workplace contributors.
Countless studies demonstrate how a positive work environment improves employee performance and overall job satisfaction. Heavy emphasis has been made on the value of safe and supportive environments in modern offices.
Employees are no longer satisfied with fulfilling their responsibilities for the sake of mindlessly making a living while dealing with common workplace issues such as over-demanding higher-ups, diverse forms of harassment, and discriminatory practices. In an ideal world, employees gain fulfillment and satisfaction (as well as economic stability) despite the monotonous slog of a 9-5.
Consequently, platforms like Glassdoor and Indeed that offer company review forums have risen to prominence because people care about what past and present employees have to say about them. Businesses that value creating a positive work environment want to give prospective employees that extra bit of reassurance to give a confident, resounding yes to a job offer. Employees who have been burned at their previous jobs feel responsible for warning other job seekers to steer two state lines clear.
The Value of Employee Reviews
On the flip side, employers can also profit tremendously from the Glassdoors and Indeeds of the world. Knowing what’s being said about your company on the internet is almost mandatory in a world where workplace gossip spreads like wildfire and can turn into big-time stories thanks to the advent of social media.
Positive reviews about your business can be instrumental in confirming to a job seeker that your company’s workplace is one to be coveted. Negative reviews about the workplace or culture being fostered, on the other hand, will harm your company’s reputation in the same way durability or efficiency complaints will harm a product’s sales and market performance.
Thus, it’s worth having someone with a dedicated responsibility to respond to both positive and negative reviews on Glassdoor and Indeed in a cool, level-headed manner. How your company responds to criticism and praise will further add to (or detract from) your company’s existing reputation.
Responding to Praise & Criticism
There are certain things companies should consider when attending to reviews left by past and present employees:
- Quickness, efficiency, and politeness are three elements that are paramount in all forms of customer service.
- Appreciate that they’re willing to provide feedback on your businesses’ practices. Offer to explore ways to solve their issues or present them with potential next steps.
- Acknowledge whatever concern the employee may have and demonstrate how the company is willing to change or evolve, as well as promising action against said concerns.
- While it may be tempting, you should never ignore negative reviews; instead, target them for an immediate response. In the case of positive reviews, thank them for their contributions.
- Personalize and tailor your responses the same way you’d appreciate some consideration and empathy the next time you try to resolve an unknown charge at the bank. Employees and reviewers don’t have time for lazy excuses or copy-pasted responses.
With efficient, attentive responses, your company will end up reaping the rewards. Per Glassdoor’s own company blog, 61% of job seekers on the platform stated in a survey that their perception of an employer will improve after seeing them have positive interactions with a reviewer.
What About False or Misleading Reviews?
Stumbling upon a negative review is bound to happen; not everyone is going to be happy or conform to your business’s practices. However, even more disheartening is when you realize that what the employee is complaining about is untrue.
No matter what kind of negativity is being spread about your business, all bad reviews can be turned into a positive experience. While a review made on non-existent grounds may be frustrating to deal with at first glance, perhaps it’s worth considering that these comments may have been influenced by something that the reviewer experienced during their time at the company.
Every joke has a semblance of truth to it, and the same goes for untrue reviews. Base your responses on this train of thought, and through experienced and professional handling of the situation, your company’s reputation will only improve as a result.
That said, if the lies are so extreme that it appears that the review was created for borderline comedic purposes, Glassdoor does offer the option to strike complaints that are found to be entirely made up.
Reviews on Glassdoor and Indeed not only impact your hiring processes; they can also trickle down to the consumer levels. On the one hand, customers will appreciate seeing that the business they constantly make purchases from always responds to all sorts of reviews in a timely, professional, and effective manner.
On the other hand, they’ll also notice if your company develops a reputation for treating its employees and customers poorly.
Thus, while online reviews can be frustrating to deal with, their value cannot be ignored, and having a response team dedicated to tending to both positive and negative comments about your business is paramount.
Utilize Your Company’s Reviews for Recruitment Purposes
The next time your company makes the recruitment rounds, prioritize using review websites like Indeed and Glassdoor to your advantage. A glistening reputation on these platforms will dramatically increase your chances of attracting qualified – even better, overqualified – employees on the basis of key workplace elements such as strong, developed cultures and values.
If your company doesn’t have a presence on job-seeking platforms, incentivizing reviews within your company might be a great place to start. Learning about what your company’s good at – and areas where they are still lacking – could be an angst-ridden experience, but your business’s online reputation, as well as your internal practices, will only improve as a result.
Whether monitoring your company’s reviews online or measuring its reputation in industry circles and social media platforms, be sure to contact BRANDefenders to learn more about how you can effectively manage your company’s reputation online.