No pressure, but what’s your immediate action plan for dealing with that less-than-stellar company reputation you’ve been fretting about?
As you might guess, a weak, out-of-control employer brand and reputation is a serious turn-off for job candidates researching your organization. It can also spur current employees into taking their employment and careers elsewhere. The last thing you want to do is settle on a candidate that ends of being a bad hire. After all, the cost of a bad hire is more than you'd expect.
So the sooner you kick-start your road to reputation recovery, the better. Here are three great tactics to try:
1. Be transparent.
According to a Corporate Responsibility Magazine and Allegis Group Services Study conducted in 2012, 84% of workers would consider leaving their current jobs if offered another role with a company that had an excellent reputation. Even more shocking, most people would require only a one to 10 percent salary increase to consider such a move.
Meanwhile, candidates want to see a 360-degree view of what it’s like at your company, so give it to them. On Glassdoor, take advantage of “why work for us” content, Company Updates, photos, videos and social media integration to showcase what’s great about your company, teams and culture.
Then, take it a step further by responding and managing your Glassdoor company reviews, good and bad. Responding in a public forum shows your company’s willingness to listen and take feedback to heart, which pays dividends with candidates and employees alike.
2. Get involved on social media!
Managing your profile is a great first step to turning around a weak or negative company reputation. But to stay ahead of the pack, being active on social media is the way to go! It’s no secret that social media is here to stay, so why not take advantage of platforms your employees are already active on?
By sharing company photos, engaging in Q&A sessions with followers, promoting agnostic content and linking to important resources in social media posts, you will positively influence your reputation.
For example, Dell shares great advice with #DellTip posts. Not only does this engage followers and employees, it also keeps Dell top of mind for job seekers and other audiences being targeted. Plus, according to a 2014 Weber Shandwick survey, employees with socially-encouraging employers are 24% more likely to help boost sales than employees whose employers aren’t socially encouraging.
3. Turn your employees into brand ambassadors.
Your employees are your brand. You’ve likely heard this message before, but are you actually taking advantage of this powerful resource?
When employees share reviews about your workplace, leadership or culture or post images of cool company events or activities, they are essentially building your company reputation, piece by piece.
Without incentivizing (i.e., bribing), encourage employees to share honest opinions about what it's like to work at your company. For example, ask new hires during their onboarding to leave reviews about their hiring experience, then email reminders after 30, 60 or 90 days on the job to leave formal company reviews. During company all-hands events, when you have a large captive audience, remind everyone the importance of leaving company reviews, especially as a strategy to help attract great talent.
Making your internal brand ambassadors feel appreciated, e.g., with an end-of-month happy hour, will only increase their desire to spread the word about your company. When candidates see current employees sharing awesome experiences, they’ll be far more inclined to apply for open jobs. In the end, it’s a practical way to boost your recruiting efforts while enhancing your reputation.
Looking for more reputation turnaround inspiration? Check this webinar featuring learning and talent management provider Saba.
