Glassdoor - some thoughts...

The door of glass.

“Fortune is like glass – the brighter the glitter, the more easily broken.” – Publilius Syrus.

The brainchild of two gents who wondered what would have happened had their employee survey become public knowledge and how it could help others at a career crossroads – Glassdoor launched in 2008. It collects company reviews, averaged salary data, displayed employee’s thoughts on workplace culture and posts these for members to digest. In more recent times, CEO’s were also brought into the spotlight as their company population rated them and employers could post their vacancies on a company profile page, (which arguably, showed just how engaged an employer, they really were.)

Essentially, a candidate can review their interview experience and a colleague can add in what they feel the pros & cons of the company are and even give “the management” some advice. As social media grew in its power, this served to drive a bigger audience (& collection of opinions) to the site, because it covers all bases and delivers an evolutionary, one stop people shop, platform perfect for points of view.

As of 2021, Glassdoor breaks down company ratings & salary information by race and gender, so candidates can review potential employers through the essential lens of diversity and inclusion because its all part of the employee experience and rightly so.

Did I mention Glassdoor also bestow “Best Places to Work” awards?

In a COVID world, one might argue that the virtual bubbles and home offices we all work in, reduce the impact that a site like Glassdoor has because the subsidized, in house restaurants are closed and the allure of an office in a prime location has temporarily lost its allure, but I maintain that if you’re looking to change your job, in ANY year, you’ll head to Glassdoor to check out what people are saying about a prospective employer. Moreover, employees globally continue to have a lot to say about how their company is supporting them while working from home, so the dialogue ON Glassdoor, is as pertinent as ever.

This bundles up into a neat package of workplace openness, some regard as the “online water cooler” – perspective sharing has never been easier.

The reviews

First call out: it is always easier (and human nature) to criticize than to praise. You see companies praised to the heavens and dragged to the gutter all within the same mouse scroll. I do see “balanced” reviews from those currently employed (which is what it should be about) but I rarely see “positive” reviews from an ex-employee.

Fair observation?

People are compelled to vent or post when they have been “wronged” – check social media every single day of your life. Job seekers now more than EVER are looking to Glassdoor with allegedly, 48% of people walking through the old Glassdoor as part of their search.

Dear reader, this equates to millions of people! (38 million, I am informed.)

More traffic than Manilla rush hour.

This naturally led employers to conclude the only way to protect their brand: proactive engagement. Employer branding has always carried distinct but variable levels of interest, since before Hugh Jackman took the Wolverine claws on but NOW, everyone from the CEO to the cleaner wanted “in” on what was being said, the perception police were on the case; as a way of working.

Examples:

• Employers acknowledge & reply to reviews (positive and negative) left on their company profile page.
• Companies decided to make use of the feedback to kick improvement project plans into action.
• Taking the branding monster by the horns, businesses began to write and structure content ON their company page as well as adding photos to give candidates the inside scoop on their office before the door even opened.

From a people and employer perspective, understanding is the essential key to Glassdoor.

People are smart, deep down. You can detect a Jekyll/Hyde tone with a pointed agenda in comments, so while you can take those with the pinch of salt they may require – it makes sense to consider if the company is misleading with their brand content, vs addressing issues flagged up. 

My next question on reviews, “are cons really CONS?”

They still bring insight to the table, however barbed. People still FEEL how they feel, so as a candidate isn’t this still useful? Likewise, from an employer’s side, even if you disagree with someone’s review, the elephant is STILL in the room, because someone still felt like that. Whether it is a cultural red flag, disapproval of the CEO or the fact that the benefits are less than “sexy”, you can use this to understand how the company is currently. Content is valid, today you just need a barometer or a sieve to distinguish. Similarly, are the PROS actual pros or just “perks”? IMO the pros should touch on the company product, the people directive, processes, and innovative ingredients that when sprinkled over the workplace, truly make that difference.

“No controversy, no PR.” – Tim Fargo

Glassdoor has had its share, allegedly.

1. Are the reviews really, anonymous?
2. Do companies fake or incentivise positive reviews (usually following a slew of poor ones)?
3. Courts have insisted that Glassdoor reveal identities of commentators in several cases and served subpoenas to this effect.
4. Professionals, on both sides of the glass door, claim there is a thread of cyber bullying in some cases.
5. Interview questions are leaked/posted for any candidate to read and brush up in advance of their own interview.

But, as an employer/People Manager you do not NEED Glassdoor to take a temperature check.

• Skip level meetings.
• Employee forums.
• Clear communications with a culture of psychological safety.
• Pulse surveys.
• Employee engagement groups.
• Return to work and exit interview analysis.
• “Lunch and listen” employee & Director sessions.

My train of thought: open-up the invite as a way of working to share honest, constructive feedback IN the workplace as opposed to, being a keyboard warrior.

#foodforthought

Friend or foe?

There is prestige attached to Glassdoor’s “top places to work” but they also publish articles entitled “8 secrets Recruiters won’t tell you (but we will.)”

#clickbait much?

Privately and professionally there is a double-edged sword here.

Any disgruntled employee can trash a company, publicly no matter how legit their complaint is/is not. Do investors check out companies on Glassdoor before they invest? Of course. Therefore, is it feasible that share prices can be affected by the door of glass and its content? The impact is wider and more than influential than, some mere recommends for the inhouse dining and comments on culture. Brand reputation is no longer in the hands of those directing the brand.

The future…

Whoever “the people” are, Glassdoor is for them.

They launched “collections” which helps job seekers stay organized when they’re job hunting, a year ago and is available online and through their mobile app; this was quickly followed by “company compare” – where, say at offer stage with two different businesses, you, the candidate can stack up a comparator between them, giving insight ‘at a glance’ to support your decision.

On the employer’s side of the door, Glassdoor has introduced new features which are designed to help target and recruit new hires, at scale. Examples of this: connecting affiliated profiles together which gives a better context to candidates where companies are part of a bigger organization. In addition, they have given their employer center a makeover so responding to reviews & tracking brand reputation is easier along with crisp metric dashboards at our disposal.

In other news, the future is looking bright for a new kid on the block, “Comparably.”

Www.comparably.com set themselves a mission of transparency for employees & employers and do this by outlining features such as culture, comp & bens and claim to showcase employer brands in a more accurate, “fair” way.

#onetowatch

Conclusion

Glass is clear. Clean. You can see through it. You can see what is ahead of you.

Global generations have always had opinions about their workplace – from mining coal to writing code. The world we live in, is a platform-centric one. Everyone has a voice, and everyone uses it, so the evolution of Glassdoor is less a surprise and more of an inevitable. I wonder if anyone truly knows the incredible extent of the data & insights within Glassdoor. (Now, there is a book to be written!) It plays a mega part in employer brand nowadays which for a site based on anonymous reviews walks a line between informing and disconcerting.

Am I happy that someone can broadcast my interview questions on there? Do you seriously need me to answer that? What I would call for is “balance” – on all sides which I do not see right now from such a public database and this is where the Glassdoor responsibility lies. You can dismiss reviews as “tomorrow’s fish & chip paper” but I do not believe we live in such a simple world anymore. Thoughts, words, vitriolic or complimentary are out there, wielding more power than “stick & stones.” So maybe, the ultimate responsibility is on us all. We tell our brand stories, with integrity, we encourage balanced feedback from all parties, we give credit where credit is due and we all, use our “power” in the world of work to make constructive differences. Daily and authentically.