Through the Looking Glass (Door)
I won't say gone are the days when we rely on other people we know recommending or not recommending a particular employer but with SEEK, Indeed and Glassdoor now offering potential and current employees the chance to anonymously provide:
- Their salaries (good info for when you may be negotiating an offer and a great source of industry research to see where your current company stands);
- Their opinion of not just pay, but culture of a company and the management ethos and CEO performance;
- Their recruitment experience with interview questions and tips; as well as
- Their opinion about the future outlook of a company,
a whole new insight into an organisation is opened up.
For those of you who may not be familiar with Glassdoor.com.au (in particular), they describe themselves as an anonymous platform where employees have a place to speak their minds about their workplace experiences, however, of course these must be truthful and within legal parameters. It is a place to vent but not to be slanderous or libellous. You can find their House Rules here for what's ok and what isn't.
Some folk choose to give their job titles and current work status with a company which can provide good insight on how a company may have changed over time or in fact if it has remained the same. Good info for those looking to make a career move but also I would suggest for those who work for companies who are in marketing/communications or management/recruiter roles to take notice and action. If they don't, it might be at their own (and their company's) peril. Particularly if they don't respond particularly to negative experiences.
This is the US version of Glassdoor statistics but I wouldn't be surprised if these stats* weren't reflected on the Australian site too. (*I just couldn't find them, but will keep looking and then update this post) -
"62% of Glassdoor users say that their perception of a company improves when they see that it responds to employees’ reviews"
This is one of the many thought provoking statistics provided in this really useful pack Glassdoor have put together for companies on why and how to respond to these reviews.
I think these days if you're not communicating with your potential and current employees on these type of review sites (where they are more likely to respond truthfully), you are going to see the quality and number of your candidates drop as well as lower employee engagement and retention of your current team members. Most companies live and die on their brand and reputation and when a site like Glassdoor in Australia has reviews for 704,000+ companies can you really afford to ignore it?
On a personal note, I check the reviews of a company I might be looking to join on Glassdoor and SEEK first before applying. I find it fascinating as the image that is projected in the public domain can sometimes be quite different from the internal perspective. It can be a real eye opener. Who wants to go and work for a terrible company who don't treat their people well even if they pay well?
Well, I won't speak on behalf of anyone else, but for me it's a No. I want to look forward to going to work so I can do a great job as well as work with colleagues and management who are supportive; idea embracing; and who I can laugh with. I was very lucky to have this at Elabor8 in Brisbane until a recent change in broader business conditions has seen my role finish up. (Yes, I still highly recommend them and Yes, I have put in a review :)
So I am again looking at the wide range of employer review sites (as they all have job alerts functions as well). You may want to check out one or more of them for yourself before you take that next career step in, or outside, of your current employer. Good luck as always.