Are Glassdoor Reviews Important?

We recently raised the topic of recruitment challenges and promised to share some good practice to support you in this area. This continues to be a huge issue for businesses, and it was reported this week that there are currently over 1m vacancies in the UK. Everyone we speak to just now is raising the fact they can’t recruit new employees.

In this article, we wanted to share some of the steps you can take to attract talent to your business. When we are looking to buy a product, engage with a business, or invest in a service, the first thing that many of us do is go straight to the internet to read other people’s experiences. A new job and career is a massive part of our lives so it’s inevitable that job seekers will take a look at Glassdoor reviews before engaging with a business.

Glassdoor is a third-party review site, a bit like Trip Advisor or Trust Pilot, but is aimed at reviewing the workplace and what your employees think. Indeed Jobs also have a review site, and employers with low scores generally find their free job postings lower down in the pecking order, making it difficult for their vacancies to be found by candidates.

Lower-than-average Glassdoor ratings?

If you have a lower-than-average Glassdoor rating, you will find it more difficult to attract quality candidates.

In a previous study by Glassdoor, they found that almost 50% of job seekers check Glassdoor reviews when searching for jobs online. 50% of people taking part in the report also said they wouldn’t work with a company that has a bad reputation. In short, yes, Glassdoor reviews are important. In addition, it’s time to put effort into improving your employer profile and boosting your review score.

What is Glassdoor?

Glassdoor is one of the most popular job sites on the internet. Job Seekers not only use it to search for career opportunities, they also check Glassdoor Employment Reviews and use it to find out what former and current employees are saying about millions of companies.

The Job board also provides insights into CEO approval ratings, interview questions, interview reviews, benefit reviews, and salary reports. You can check Glassdoor out here and also Indeed by checking it here.

How to increase my chances of receiving a good Glassdoor review in the future?

1. Be Honest

Don’t over promise and under deliver. Give your potential future colleagues an honest representation of your business and the workplace before you welcome them to the team. When you find a top-quality candidate, you want to go above and beyond to ensure they join your team. However, make sure you can meet the expectations you’ve set. An honest representation can lead to a positive review.

2. Candidate Experience and On-boarding

It’s vital you give a good impression during the recruitment process and move quickly. Job hunters are not hanging around, and if you take too long to respond, the chances are you’ll lose the candidate.

Don’t make the application process too difficult or time consuming. People’s time is precious, and whilst you might want people to jump through hoops for your business to prove they’re right for you, many candidates will be turned off by this. Ask your recent team members for constructive feedback; what could be improved and take action.

Revise your induction and on-boarding process to guarantee that every team member, especially new hires, is poised for success. For instance, the HR department should ensure that essentials like PPE or laptops are readily available for each current employee. This approach enhances employee engagement by empathising with the candidate’s perspective.

If your on-boarding experience is not positive and requires improvement, the chances are your new person will look for a new job pretty quickly after joining you. An HR professional must consider this phase as a crucial part of the employee lifecycle.

3. Develop Your Managers

Managers play a key role in employee experience and they have the biggest impact on reviews you receive. We recommend investing time and money in training your management team to inspire employees and understand the importance of representing your brand. This will go a long way to boosting your reputation as a business and eliminate negative feedback in the future.

Do your managers care about your staff? How do you measure this? Consider engagement surveys, focus groups, listening forums or other methods to capture feedback. It’s important managers know how to praise and recognise people and demonstrate good communication skills.    

4. Create a Safe Environment for Employees to Express Their Feelings

Create a safe environment where employees feel comfortable to express their opinions on the workplace and their managers. You can set aside time for team meetings to gain valuable insight about the workplace and how it can be improved. Staff will be less likely to share their evaluation online if they feel comfortable to share with you directly.

When you do receive feedback from employees, we encourage you not to get defensive. Stay open minded and search for solutions that will resolve the issue.

5. Ask for Help

If you do the things above, and have a good workplace culture, and you need help with hiring employees and talent management, why not involve your team and ask for help? You could say you’ve got a recruitment campaign on just now, and you need their help and would they mind leaving a review on Glassdoor sharing their experience. If you have an engaged workforce, they will want to help you. You might also find employees are happy to share their feelings on social media, including LinkedIn and how great your workplace is, and this will impact positively with people wanting to join your business.

Your next steps for positive Glassdoor reviews 

Review your existing Glassdoor and Indeed presence. If you don’t have any reviews at all, think about how you could encourage employees to leave a review. If your team are expressing how positive they feel about the workplace and your managers are leading your team correctly, you won’t have to worry about the negative reviews.

In the case that you receive negative reviews, why not ask your existing team for constructive feedback and check if they feel the same way. It can feel really disappointing to receive a bad review. However, it’s important not to get defensive and actually use it as a learning opportunity. Highlight all the issues brought to your attention and work out ways you can resolve them. Express to your team the changes you plan to make so they know creating a positive working environment is a priority to you.

If you would like any further support on Glass Door Reviews or your recruitment in general, contact us now. You can choose your recruitment package here.