Company Reviews: To Trust Or Not To Trust

Let’s talk Glassdoor ratings, shall we? Raise your e-hand if you’ve withheld from applying to an intriguing company based on their poor Glassdoor reviews. You’re group 1.

Now, raise your e-hand if you’ve read poor Glassdoor reviews about an intriguing company … and applied and/or interviewed, taking the reviews into consideration and keenly assessing things as you explored the opportunity. You’re group 2, and congratulations: you’re not selling yourself short. You’re being smart and savvy, thinking independently.

Here’s 3 perspectives to caution you about avoiding a company with poor Glassdoor reviews:

PERSPECTIVE A: Sample size, volume & relevancy compared to other public review channels.

-      The “average” company rating on Glassdoor is only ‘3.3’ of 5 (https://bit.ly/2RcDpCb).

-      ‘4’ out of 5 is considered “average” on Yelp. (https://bit.ly/2NK1vCc).

-      The average rating on Google for local businesses is ‘4.4’ (https://bit.ly/38mKmq7).

-      Then, consider how many reviews exist for a particular company: 15, 60, maybe 150 or 250 … and how many reviews exist on Yelp or Google for that local restaurant or hotel, or on Amazon for that coffee press or smart speaker: 500, 1200, maybe over 3000. 

Then, take into consideration that people are 21% more likely to leave a review after a negative experience than a positive one (https://bit.ly/2NKnhpr). To be honest, I would have thought that statistic would be more like 200% more likely!!

What can we infer from this:

(1)  There is not enough sample data (volume) of Glassdoor reviews to eliminate extremes, particularly for those smaller to midsized businesses. Therefore, a decision such as completely skipping an application purely based on these reviews should be reconsidered. I would hope even Glassdoor would agree with that.

(2)  Glassdoor ratings, overall, are going to be lower. Therefore, if people are reviewing ratings with the same trusting mentality as a Yelp, a Google or Amazon review, most companies aren’t going to look great and many won’t even have a ‘4’ as an average. Ouch! Better avoid employers all-together and just work for yourself!

Furthermore, I ask you these rhetorical questions: Would you hop on Glassdoor and post a positive review about your employer without being prompted? And how likely are you to do that versus posting a review about a new restaurant you tried? People just don’t really post about companies that much … unless it’s out of dissatisfaction. It’s a different animal.

PERSPECTIVE B: Employers Know (& Admit) It’s Gamed

A colleague of mine – anonymously agreeing to comment – has led Employer Branding departments for multi-billion dollar corporations. They reminded me that Glassdoor requires users to post reviews to interact with the site, and encourages their company clients to have their employees post reviews. (And guess what type of reviews are encouraged). As my colleague said, it’s “gaming the system.” And they reminded me: people don’t want to be asked to review. The best reviews to be trusted are authentic and self-initiated, which is a very tiny percentage of the reviews on Glassdoor.

My two cents as a talent acquisition professional of 16 years: If I were to count the times I heard companies telling their employees to post positive reviews to boost the ratings, or discussion of this occurring at offices, client meetings, talent & employer branding industry conferences, happy hours, online, etc. – I’d guess it’d be about 300 times? Might as well be the same thing as your favorite steakhouse getting a 1-star review from the employee of a competing steakhouse across town. 

Want more data from employers? Ask any corporate recruiter you know – literally anyone who works in corporate recruiting – and I’d bet if they’re honest … they’ll tell you they’ve seen it.

PERSPECTIVE C: Read this WSJ article, “How Companies Secretly Boost Their Glassdoor Ratings” (https://on.wsj.com/3awwTO8) and several others you can find online.

IT’S. ALL. A. WASH. The majority of Glassdoor reviews are simply people emotionally-venting, or it’s prompted positivity. However, what is authentic is the conversation that occurs in response to the reviews, and for that, Glassdoor becomes a very helpful forum. If the employer participates in the conversation, responds to reviewers, etc. then points for them! If not, then points lost!

CONCLUSION: My advice is to take these reviews with a (light, tiny) grain of salt, and don’t be group 1. Don’t rule-out that company entirely based on fabricated information. Instead, be group 2: take the info as a data point, and explore while assessing things for yourself. Do your own research! You can:

-      Be bold! Ask the employer during the interview: “I noticed your Glassdoor reviews were [XYZ] and had some patterns about [ABC]. What’s your perspective on that?” Trust me: other candidates are asking them, straight-up. They’ll respect you for it.

-      Ask around! Instead of Glassdoor reviews, find people who work / worked there, and ask them if they’d be comfortable providing some insight. Catching them at a time when they aren’t prompted to give their input on a public forum may likely change their tone and attitude.

-      Read through the lines when you interview. Ask them about culture, expectations, growth, etc. and see if you notice anything that matches what you read.

For more information visit www.4sightsearch.com. 4SIGHT SEARCH is a specialized executive search, staffing & consulting firm, providing full-service solutions including direct hire executive search & hourly contractor staffing across various functions.