Whether you’re looking to hire quality candidates, foster positive morale among employees or need to change public perception, a smart Glassdoor management strategy is essential. In fact, 86% of job candidates look at a company’s reviews and ratings before applying.
It's time to prioritize this platform as part of your marketing and PR strategy to set up your company for success. Here’s how to start.
1. Don’t Ghost the Reviews
Some companies respond to reviews inconsistently – often only the negative ones – and this can make you look disorganized or defensive. In most cases, my advice is to respond to all reviews, but here are the top considerations as you make that decision:
- Evaluate: Carefully investigate the review. Don’t assume it’s true or false without digging in first.
- Appropriateness: Does the message or review use racist or derogatory language? If yes, do not respond.
- Truth: Is the review spreading misinformation that needs to be refuted
- Opportunity: Will a response provide transparency for your audience? Is this an opportunity to build a relationship with your audience?
- Risk: Will responding add unnecessary fuel to the fire? Will a response appear defensive? Or does the commenter just want to be heard and therefore a response will de-escalate the situation?
- Consistency: Are you only responding to positive reviews? Are you responding at random?
2. Respond Professionally and Authentically
If you’ve made the decision to respond to a review, here comes the hard part – how to respond.
Do:
- Show a genuine desire to make changes. Nobody expects a company to be perfect. What people care about is your commitment to learning and doing better.
- Demonstrate empathy. Show you truly care and are hearing the feedback. Say thank you. It’s okay to show empathy even if you don’t agree.
- Apologize if you’re at fault. Whether it’s an error or miscommunication, accept blame if you’re at fault. Keep the apology short and sincere.
Don’t:
- Be defensive. This is the most common mistake I see companies make. No matter how unfair a review might be, readers will be turned off (and side with the employee) if you act defensively.
- Use a templated/stock response. Users reading your organization’s reviews will notice the pattern, so it’s important to respond genuinely and authentically. Sign it with a name.
- Respond to only the negative aspects of the review. Make sure every piece of feedback – positive and negative – gets addressed.
3. Use Glassdoor Reviews as a Learning Opportunity
Glassdoor pages can serve as an opportunity for your company to receive feedback and make necessary changes. Not all reviews need to be acted on – some are just angry employees looking to vent. But the companies that respond to relevant Glassdoor reviews and make necessary changes will see an increase in trust from prospective and current employees.
Ultimately, building a strategy for responding to and managing your company’s Glassdoor reviews is a smart move for your organization. Not only does it help you retain current employees, but it’s key to hiring and recruitment efforts. Start responding now to set up your organization for success.
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