Who’s the Lowest of them All? Glassdoor Reports Companies with Lowest Overall Ratings

With a New Year right around the corner, it may be time for some companies to take a look at what’s working and what’s not. We all know and recognize that things are tough right now, and for employers this is an opportunity to take a look inside so that you retain your talent and get the most out of your employees while keeping them happy. As we thumb through the data collected throughout this past year, there are companies who shine (stay tuned for top companies) and there are those who – well, let’s just say their ratings aren’t a bright spot.

For your perusal, we have identified some of the lowest rated companies on Glassdoor.com¹. DHL Express ranks as the least favored company on Glassdoor (of those with at least 25 employee reviews). DHL Express is headquartered in Plantation, Fla. and receives a 1.7 company rating (on a 5-point scale). United Airlines headquartered in Chicago, Ill.  takes the number two spot, followed closely by automotive supplier Reynolds & Reynolds headquartered in Kettering, Ohio. Both Reynolds & Reynolds and United Airlines receive a 2.0 company rating².

What’s also interesting to note is which CEOs from the 50 lowest rated companies recently made our CEO Watch List that was highlighted in our “Naughty and Nice CEOs of 2008″ post.

In addition to news headlines about DHL and its failure to respond to financial and community commitments which will result in the loss of 8,000 jobs, current DHL Express employees point to the plethora of reasons why this company rates so low in terms of employee satisfaction:

A DHL Express Field Service Supervisor in Chicago, Ill. advises:

“Get Out Now” and adds “PROS: There are none! A highly disorganized company. I should have known better from the beginning.“

And, a Courier for DHL Express in Seattle, Wash. gives a laundry list explanation as to why the company takes top spot as the lowest rated company on Glassdoor:

“DHL Express is currently “downsizing” as it struggles to right a sinking ship in a recessionary economy. Upper management has continually mismanaged the company to the point that it is losing $5 million dollars a day (that’s over a billion dollars a year), even though their upfront costs were probably half that of its competitors, FedEx and UPS, and it had a diverse network and client base. It has continuously ignored whatever problems are actually occurring at the station level, has bungled numerous initiatives to cut costs and improve workplace efficiencies, has gone through a string of incompetent CEO’s, Presidents, and VP’s (who in turn were promoted into the upper reaches of the parent company, DPWN after failing to actually reach their “break even” target) and as a result there is a high degree of dissatisfaction by the dwindling customers we still have and low morale among the workers on the frontlines who run DHL’s service model (delivering packages). DHL USA is simply going out of business, and supposedly “retooling” to service international products exclusively even as international trade is slowing down and jet fuel costs are skyrocketing through the roof.”

So if you’re reading this blog as an employer, we hope you’ll take some of the feedback your employees are sharing about the good, the bad as well as advice they have to offer you about how to improve the company.

But if you’re an employee (of any company out there), use the opportunity to learn from your colleagues about what opportunities are available at your company… and other companies you bay be interested in.  Afterall, information is power in today’s market.

And no matter what side of the conference table you sit on, keep an eye out for tips from our guest contributor Rusty Rueff, a career and workplace expert, and take advantage of the advice he has to offer whether it’s on how to handle layoffs (as an employer or employee) or insights into handling an interview.

¹ Ratings are based on a 20-question survey that evaluate 8 key workplace factorsincluding: Senior Leadership, Communication, Employee Morale, Career Opportunities, Work/Life Balance, Compensation and Benefits, Recognition and Feedback, and Fairness and Respect

² For reporting simplicity, a company’s rating on the Glassdoor website and this list is limited to one decimal space although the actual calculations extend infinitely to determine final rank order

³ A ‘Not Rated” approval rating is due to the fact there are fewer than 25 responses for the current CEO. This may be caused by a recent CEO turnover or the fact fewer employees answered whether they “approve,” “disapprove” or have “no opinion” of the job the CEO is doing than those who completed the employer survey.