5 Reasons Hiring Managers Should Pay Attention to Online Employee Reviews

A recent article by Recruiting Daily referenced a study in which 48% of job seekers* surveyed utilize Glassdoor as a platform to narrow down potential employers. This means that a candidate may not even apply to a company with less than favorable employee reviews in this platform. Here are a few key reasons why it is not only beneficial, but necessary to consider how your company is perceived by current and former employees.

Due to the talent shortage, you must be an employer of choice

Experienced, talented people will simply turn down offers from companies with a bad reputation, so companies can find themselves with a serious shortage of labor for skilled tasks.

Lower recruiting costs

Companies that have better reputations have fewer interview cancellations and a higher percentage of offers accepted.

Social Recruiting

Candidates who are garnered from social media sources have easy access to post reviews on these sites.

Many reviews are false

Employees who are terminated often leave untruthful reviews to harm their employers.

Negative reviews should be analyzed

Some negative reviews can point to business problems that need to be addressed in an effort to reduce turnover, combat understaffing, and promote a better overall workplace culture.

In a 2014 article discussing negative online company reviews, a Forbes contributor cautions employers to respond to all reviews, both positive and negative. A positive and timely response can help to offset the damage done by a negative review.

Recruiting Daily also advises employers to encourage current employees to leave feedback, even including links to preferred review sites in company newsletters and emails. While many employers may be fearful of unfavorable reviews, the law of averages comes into play here. The more feedback a company receives, the higher their ratings. Employees will most likely see the request as an indicator that their opinions and perceptions are valued within the company, and respond with favorable reviews.

*Survey comprised of 4,633 job seekers in the U.S.