Job seekers actively use employer review sites when they research companies, and Glassdoor is one of the most pop sources.

It'due south all well and adept if you're looking to hire new talent and your company gets expert reviews, but what if it doesn't?

"We don't oft get negative reviews on Glassdoor, but when we do, we just ignore them."

This response was from an Hr acquaintance at an insurance visitor whom I recently ran into, and the overall impression was that it was best "not to dignify" a negative review with an answer, which could sound defensive.

However, equally Glassdoor and other employer review portals figure more prominently in the decision making process for potential new hires and the task marketplace continues to be fiercely competitive, more Hour and hiring managers are realizing that a strategy needs to exist in place to address negative online reviews, and they want to know what the best practices are.

An HR professional who was quoted anonymously by upstartHR said:

"…Nosotros have been monitoring the [Glassdoor] reviews but recently received a less than positive review and are looking for communication on the all-time style to respond. Information technology seems to me similar it'due south more of a communications issue from an external perspective, but I would like to know what others are doing."

So what are others doing?

A 2015 survey by recruitment house CareerArc revealed that 62% of job seekers visit social media sites to evaluate an employer'south brand, nevertheless merely 57% of employers say they have an employer brand strategy

In brusk, almost companies don't have a formal strategy for dealing with social media (and negative employee reviews) in identify.

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But how should y'all respond to negative reviews?

A post on Glassdoor'due south weblog encourages employers to respond to negative reviews when they see them. Co-ordinate to a 2016 Glassdoor survey, 62% of job seekers said a response to a negative review would improve their perception of a prospective employer. The mail service advised companies to assign a specific person to respond to reviews, and emphasized the importance of responding promptly. According to Jacquese Brown, Home Depot'south Manager of Employment Marketing and Branding, her company aims to respond to 80-90% of all reviews, and prioritizes reviews by urgency and gravity.

When responding to criticism, be direct and positive

Be sure to address each point that a reviewer made in a comment and explain how the company plans to accost the event. If possible, the response should come from the company CEO, to demonstrate the seriousness that the company places in addressing concerns and in solving them.

Here is an example from a Glassdoor blog post featuring CEO responses to reviews:"Commencement, I would like to repent for my tardy reply. I want to thank you for taking the time to give united states your feedback. I am really sorry that your feel at Wildflower did not match our intention of being the best place you lot the e'er worked. We are taking your feedback and addressing all the places nosotros missed in delivering a peachy feel for you…. Cheers also for your advice. We are planning to start Breadhead surveys as soon every bit our online system is configured to aid us with this very important request. If you would like to share more nearly your experiences please contact me past emailing hrhelp@wildflowerbread.com so that we can set up a fourth dimension to talk. Thanks again for the feedback. It helps the states brand Wildflower a better place and best of luck in your future endeavors.

With Gratitude,

Louis Bastille, Jr.

Founder

Wildflower Breadstuff Company

Actively monitor sites similar Glassdoor

Time is of the essence when you are responding to negative reviews. If you run across one, you should plan to respond to it within 24 hours, because silence from the company can signal tacit acceptance of the criticism in the minds of many task candidates who rely on the site for reviews.

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Be prepared to address issues directly in interviews

If your company recently had a negative review on a social media aqueduct, it is likely that chore candidates you interview will accept also seen it. Exist prepared to answer chore candidate concerns virtually what they might have seen or heard. Be open about issues, and explain what the company is doing about them.

Have positive steps to right legitimate concerns.

If a preponderance of negative reviews with legitimate concerns comes in from social media about a item department or area of your visitor, expect into it and take corrective measures every bit needed. Using these reviews constructively, you lot can work to promote positivity in your work environment.

Companies can also assistance themselves by taking proactive steps to develop pleasing piece of work environments and opportunities for those who piece of work for them. While this won't necessarily forestall yous from getting a negative view on a site like Glassdoor, yous can probably count on getting fewer of them at the aforementioned fourth dimension that you lot are promoting the make of your company.

Also see:

  • The top 6 reasons why employees leave, and how you can stop them (TechRepublic)
  • The 10 workplace perks that tech professionals want the nearly (TechRepublic)
  • Glassdoor uses machine learning to tell users if they're beingness paid adequately (ZDNet)
  • Millennials at work: Tech is more of import than free lunch and ping pong (ZDNet)