As top IT professionals with in-demand skills often juggle multiple offers, a company's reputation is an increasingly important factor in their decision-making process. To secure tech talent, it has become essential to establish a strong employer brand, which means having a solid reputation as an employer among former, current, and potential employees.
Of course, these days, much of the conversation about an employer happens on the internet. There are several websites and platforms where employees and, at times, interviewees can leave reviews or engage in discussions about a company. Glassdoor is arguably the most well-known among them. Other notable platforms include Indeed, CareerBliss, Blind, Fishbowl, and Comparably. In the German-speaking world, Kununu is popular. Additionally, there are platforms specifically designed for women, such as FairyGodBoss and InHerSight.
The content on such websites can indeed influence candidates’ perceptions of your company. They often do their due diligence during the interview process, sometimes even before applying. A 2019 survey by Fractl, which included 1,096 American workers, found that 84.2% of respondents read online reviews about a company before making the decision to apply for a job. Additionally, 31.3% reported that they had turned down an offer specifically due to a negative online review about the company — another 32.1% indicated that while the negative review wasn’t the primary reason for their decision to decline the offer, it still influenced their choice. Moreover, according to a 2017 study by CareerArc, only 1 in 5 job seekers would apply to a company with an average rating of 1 out of 5 stars on these platforms.
Negative employee reviews can also harm your job postings’ reach on platforms like Indeed, as many job seekers filter their searches to return only top-rated employers.
Fortunately, you can take control of your employer brand by following these seven actionable steps listed in this article.
1. Claim your profiles and check your current standing
Glassdoor and other sites can create listings for your company without your consent. While you cannot control your presence on these platforms, it’s essential to claim your profiles. This allows you to provide accurate and up-to-date information about your company and respond to reviews, whether they are positive or negative. Check your ratings, and prepare to get to work.
2. Create a response policy
Take the time to build a response policy. This doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. The policy should determine the following:
- Who (or which job title) should write the responses: This person may be an experienced HR professional or a senior manager, but you may also choose from team members with experience in public or media relations, social media management, community management, brand management, or customer service. Depending on your company size, it’s best to create a small response team comprising people with these skills.
- Whether responses should be posted under the company’s name or the specific responder’s name: On the one hand, using a company name makes it crystal clear that it’s an official response; on the other hand, it can also look impersonal. If you decide to go with the specific responder’s name, their job title should be mentioned in the response. It's better that they do not respond to negative reviews directly related to their actions — even if their response is utterly professional and composed, the reviewer may get frustrated that their concern wasn’t acknowledged by someone impartial. Have a backup ready also for situations like vacation, sick leave, or job vacancy.
- When reviews require additional consideration: Some matters, such as allegations of discrimination or harassment, require seeking legal advice. Outline the situations in which offering a complete response might jeopardize the company, and determine the appropriate person to consult.
- How internal investigations on matters raised in reviews should be carried out: You can designate a team or individual to oversee investigations of relevant issues raised in reviews.
3. Start responding to reviews
If there are reviews about your company, whether positive or negative, waiting for a response, it’s time to evaluate which ones will get a response, and get down to work.
Deciding which reviews to respond to
Be especially mindful of the negative reviews, as not responding to them suggests that you, as an employer, are either indifferent or unable to address the concerns raised. Prioritize responding to the ones that contain factual errors or claims that could harm your company’s reputation.
It should be noted that if a review sounds too hostile, it may be breaching the platform rules — review platforms typically have community guidelines banning certain types of content, from hate speech to any information that you can prove false. So, instead of immediately responding, you can simply flag the review. Glassdoor promises to respond within 72 business hours with a decision on the flagged content.
For reviews posted years ago, assess whether they are relevant enough to be still worth responding to.
Especially if you work for a large organization, you may not respond to every review you receive, but make sure to also respond to some positive ones, as it is a great way to amplify their message. Not only that, but someone took the time to speak well of your company, so let them know you appreciate it.
Step by step
Glassdoor provides a comprehensive FAQ to help employers respond to company reviews. The key is to craft your response with the audience you want to influence in mind (current employees, prospective employees), not just the reviewer. In five quick points, this is what to do:
- Keep calm. Remember, getting aggressive or combative in your response will make your organization look even worse than the negative review itself did.
- Thank the reviewer for sharing their perspective.
- Mention specific details of the review in your response to show that it is not boilerplate.
- Address their issue, offer solutions, or commit to making improvements. You can also direct the conversation offline.
- Spell-check your response for typos or misspellings.
Importantly, Glassdoor doesn’t let the reviewer reply to the employer’s response so as not to encourage back-and-forth discussion on the platform.
A response example
Below is a real example, taken from Glassdoor, of a company responding to a negative review from an interviewee who claims that their interviewer didn’t show up:
“Thank you for your feedback, and we apologize for the missed interview. This is not in line with our values or the experience we want our candidates to have with us. We understand your frustration. Barring an emergency, we need to keep our commitments, and need to be proactive about our communication with you when that’s absolutely not possible. We have since implemented new processes and tools to ensure this doesn't happen again. We really appreciate your candid feedback and are committed to improving our candidate experience based on what you shared. If you have any further concerns or feedback to share, please feel free to reach out to our team.”
The response above admits that the interviewer missed the meeting, apologizes, and clearly states that such behavior is not aligned with the company’s values. It effectively expresses empathy by recognizing the candidate’s frustration and outlines the steps taken to prevent similar issues in the future, such as implementing new processes and tools. Additionally, by inviting the reviewer to reach out directly with further concerns, the response maintains an open line of communication, showing a genuine willingness to address feedback.
To whoever has read a negative review about your company, your response should demonstrate that you, as an employer, take the time to listen, address problems, and commit to improvement. Even if you believe that the reviewer is being dishonest, or even if you have a completely different recollection of the events, avoid making accusations. That said, responding professionally doesn’t mean admitting guilt where you believe none exists.
A royal example
Interestingly, when recollections differ, you can get inspiration from the royals. Queen Elizabeth II provided an exemplary case of responding to sensitive claims in 2021, following Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey. The royal response effectively conveyed respect for the couple’s recollection of the facts without fully endorsing every detail of their account. While a monarchy differs significantly from a business, both face the challenge of managing public perceptions, and the late Queen’s response demonstrates principles that can guide companies. After all, we can all take a page from those who have managed public scrutiny since birth and whose positions rely on maintaining credibility and trust.
The statement issued by Buckingham Palace on the Queen’s behalf opens with an expression of empathy: “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan.” This is a reminder to start any response with an acknowledgment of the concerns raised. Next, the Queen diplomatically addressed the claims, highlighting that different people may remember the same event differently: “The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.” The Queen’s closing reaffirms the importance of maintaining relationships even in difficult situations. For businesses, this might mean expressing appreciation for the feedback and reiterating a commitment to improvement.
By invoking something as indisputable as the idea that “recollections may vary,” the royal statement does not dismiss the claim, but it does not imply any admission of guilt either. It focuses on resolution and de-escalating tensions. Regardless of whom we side with in the royal feud, we can all appreciate a well-crafted statement like this, as concise as it is effective. Such a balance of respect for differing perspectives and a commitment to resolution is crucial for businesses as well when responding to negative online reviews.
4. Monitor your reviews regularly
Keep monitoring the internet now that you’ve already responded to the pending reviews. Once you’ve claimed your company page on review platforms, you will receive notifications whenever a new review pops up. You can go further and set up Google Alerts to receive notifications whenever new content about your company is published on web pages, newspaper articles, or blogs.
When you receive a notification about a new review that requires a response, aim to reply within two weeks. However, for more complex complaints, consider delivering your response in two stages: first, a prompt and concise reply, followed by a comprehensive one. The initial response should acknowledge the issue and assure the reviewer that it is being addressed, with a promise of a more detailed follow-up; the full response can be provided once the matter has been resolved internally.
5. Incorporate the feedback and investigate claims
Especially if you’re getting many bad reviews, you should focus on fixing things internally. Otherwise, you will be just doing a labor of Sisyphus by responding to negative reviews — what you need is to solve the core problem causing people to speak poorly of your company.
Investigate if you notice multiple negative reviews focusing on the same issue, whether it involves a specific person, a department, a problematic procedure, or an aspect of the company culture. Addressing the issue will help improve employee satisfaction and prevent similar negative feedback in the future. Over time, you will likely receive more positive reviews. Potential candidates researching your company will notice this positive trend. They will see that you listen to feedback and resolve problems.
6. Be proactive about preventing negative reviews
Managing your employer reputation isn’t just about damage control, but also about proactive measures. Treating candidates and employees fairly and respectfully, as well as fostering a company culture of collaboration and transparency, is truly the best way to prevent problems.
Moreover, most problems can be nipped in the bud through regular pulse surveys. Your annual employee surveys can also help you get more in-depth insights.
Additionally, exit interviews can be helpful; in fact, such interviews don’t even need to be conducted face-to-face. You can simply ask the departing employee to document their responses to your questions regarding their tenure at your company.
7. Encourage employee feedback
As a rule of thumb, current employees tend to leave better reviews than former employees, as they’re still part of your organization for a reason. Individuals who leave, especially those whose departure was employer-initiated, are more likely to express dissatisfaction publicly.
Encourage current staff to share honest feedback on Glassdoor, but avoid directly asking for positive reviews. Instead, explain how a strong Glassdoor rating can attract top talent and support business growth, benefiting everyone.
While encouraging honest reviews is the correct way, ensure your company provides effective internal feedback channels so employees don’t feel compelled to voice concerns on external platforms like Glassdoor.
Here are two ways to foster employee feedback:
- Include a link to your Glassdoor page in your company newsletter or intranet.
- Feature positive employee reviews on your company’s social media accounts — this method has the triply positive effect of enhancing your organization's image, making your employees feel that their opinions are valued, and encouraging more employees to speak well of you.
There are a few situations where directly asking for positive reviews would be appropriate. For instance, if an employee tells you how satisfied they are with the company and how much they would love to see more talented people join the team, you can guide them on how they can contribute by leaving a positive review.
Glassdoor warns employers not to promise any type of gifts in exchange for reviews: "Remember, do not incentivize your employees in any way (gift cards, promises of a party, etc.) to leave a review. We take anonymity of reviews seriously, and never want an employee to feel they were coerced or bribed to leave a review. If we have evidence of this behavior, Glassdoor will remove review from an employer's profile within the time period this activity occurred."
What a “Glassdoor expert” says
The popular blog Ask a Manager by Alison Green has a section dedicated to interviews with people with interesting jobs. One such interview featured a marketer working at a global company to enhance awareness of their employer brand, and she’s their Glassdoor expert. While the marketer's identity and the company's name are not disclosed, the interview provides valuable information.
The expert highlights what not to expect from managing a company’s profile at Glassdoor: “Glassdoor is not a great tool to measure the internal pulse; it’s a lagging indicator and contains data from both current and former employees, so it’s not really relevant from an internal engagement perspective.”
She also clarifies that, as a global company, they don’t respond to all reviews they receive, and that deciding which ones to respond to is no exact science: “It’s more an art than a science. We don’t respond to all reviews but want to make sure we have a good mix of positive and negative review responses. Too many positive responses can appear like we’re ignoring problems and too many negative responses can look like we’re only using Glassdoor to get in front of problems, rather than actually listening. In that vein, however, because we view Glassdoor as mainly candidate-facing, ultimately the goal is to get in front of issues and show that we’re proactive; we just don’t want to look that way. We want it to appear authentic and not like marketing/HR is using responses to rug-sweep.”
Finally, she shares her thoughts on why current employees generally write more positive reviews than former ones: “People who have bad experiences and leave low star reviews are likely to have left the company, while people who have great experiences have no reason to leave, so they’d rate higher when they leave a review. This isn’t true 100% of the time, but overall that’s how it goes.”
Key takeaways
- These days, there is a myriad of online platforms where former and current employees, and even interviewees, can share feedback about a company. Surveys show that candidates rely on the ratings and reviews on those platforms to assess whether to accept a job offer, and even to decide whether to apply for a job. Therefore, managing your company’s reputation is essential for attracting and retaining top talent.
- First, claim your profiles on those platforms and check your ratings. Then, create a clear response policy, and engage with reviews promptly and professionally. Respond thoughtfully to both positive and negative reviews to demonstrate to the public that your organization values feedback and is committed to improvement. Monitor feedback regularly.
- Investigate recurring issues and use the insights to drive meaningful change. Especially if your company has been receiving many bad reviews, you should address the root cause instead of merely focusing on crafting great responses.
- Take a proactive approach to prevent negative reviews by treating candidates and employees fairly and respectfully, fostering a company culture of collaboration and transparency, and conducting regular pulse surveys to nip problems in the bud. You can also encourage your current employees to share honest reviews, but make sure that your company provides effective internal feedback channels — this way, they won’t feel the need to air concerns on Glassdoor. And don’t offer them any gifts in exchange for reviews.
- Ultimately, your review responses are a reflection of your company’s culture. By showing that you care about the experiences of employees and interviewees, you can transform negative reviews into stepping stones for improvement. Remember, it’s not about crafting an immaculate image but building trust through authenticity and accountability.
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