How to Turn Negative Reviews into Employer Branding Actions
  • By: SHRMpro Bureau
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January 18, 2022

Negative company reviews do a lot more damage to the company than positive reviews give benefits. If you arrogantly ignore the negative comments made by your clients, employee, or ex-employee, know that over 83% of job seekers must review employee feedback online when applying for the vacant position, as per Glassdoor. This not only affects your credibility as an employer but also tarnishes your employer brand. 

 

Maneuvering negative reviews is a pain; but here is the twist, when someone criticizes you on a public platform, they are gifting you a golden opportunity for employer branding. You can turn condemnation into an awe-inspiring employer brand action by facing negative Glassdoor reviews ardently and graciously.  

69% of job seekers are more likely to apply for a job if the employer responds to reviews. 

 

Of the 32 million monthly Glassdoor users, 61% expressed that they read company reviews before deciding on a job. Furthermore, 69% of aspirants are more likely to apply if the company answers to reviews.  

 

Address each point of the review.

Pasting the same ‘we are sorry for your inconvenience’ loudly indicates, “I really don’t care about your opinion”.  Instead, write a customized review, specify key complaint points which will show that you have thoroughly read the review because you care about your employees. Moreover, provide them with possible solutions and after the issue has been resolved and comments back.  

Company leaders need to respond to reviews. 

 

Company leaders need to respond to reviews.

 

Responding through the company’s official ID is fine but when the CEO or one of the company leaders responds directly to a review, it reflects transparency, credibility, and care. Employees get to converse one-on-one with the people who are sitting on the top.  

The founder and CEO of Eventbase, Jeff Sinclair personally replies to negative comments on Glassdoor and the results are impressive.  

Continue the conversation. 

Just replying to the feedback, will not resolve their issues. Therefore, offer a channel to keep the conversation going until it has been totally resolved. Do mention the contact information or request them to get in touch with the responsible authority in the comment section if you have a separate complaints and concerns department. This not only impresses the employee who has badmouthed you but other employees and potential aspirants.  

 

How do you respond to a negative employer review?

Do not take the review personally and never be harsh on the writer of the feedback this will only deteriorate the situation. Be calm and collected and read the review with a fresh mind and empathy. Whether the mentioned problem is legit or complete nonsense, respond with politeness and try to solve the issue.

 

How do you implement employer branding?

Employer branding in 5 stages:

  1. Set your Goals: Whether it is to attain more applicants, online presence, reduce time, or attract talent, setting your goal should be your first step.
  2. Recognize your Candidate Persona: Classify the prerequisites of your perfect applicant.
  3. Define your EVP: EVP stands for Employee Value Proposition. It is important to know what your employees love while working with you to attract new employees.
  4. Define the Medium: Be clear about where you will promote your employer brand and how.
  5. Quantify the Results: Delivering the right message to the right customers doesn’t end your job. Measure the results and take the necessary results.

 

How do I make my employer brand clear?

To make your employer brand clear and authentic try to be a human and not just a faceless corporation. To do so, you don’t require a brand-new persona. The key is to define your existing business style coaxed by your values, experiences, and strengths.

 

What is the difference between employee branding and employer branding?

Employer branding is your reputation as a brand or an identity of your company helping you stand out to job seekers. While employee branding is how well a company is professed by the existing and potential employees

 

Employees are any company’s backbone and to achieve immense success and improvised employer branding, it is important to accept criticism gracefully, appreciate the writer of the review for coming forward, and provide possible solutions. Moreover, promote how you have resolved your company’s existing problems through the most powerful platform, social media. Also, refrain completely from threatening the review writer with legal damage or bullying him/her in the workspace. Do not ignore the concern or publicly expose the reviewer. This will only harm your reputation as an employer. You can also implement 24*7 model for handling customer complaints with a streamlined Human Resource Management System (HRMS). SHRMpro HRMS helps you receive, respond to, and resolve employee grievances to ensure faster resolutions.