Recently, 90% of Glassdoor’s surveyed users reported that they find the employer’s perspective useful when making a decision about where to work. One easy way for a company to weigh in is to engage with its Glassdoor audience and reply to comments from current and past employees. If you’re in a position to speak on behalf of your company (e.g. HR, PR, Marketing, Executive), you can publicly respond to employee reviews on your company’s Glassdoor profile. To do so, simply sign in with your Free Employer Account and place your entry within the “Add Employer Response” section beneath any individual review.
Here are a few best practices when it comes to creating employer responses to reviews on Glassdoor:
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Take Action NOW
There’s no time like the present. If you see a new review, don’t wait. A swift response will show sincerity and reflect how important employee satisfaction is to you and your company.
Be Professional
You might not agree with more critical points of a review. And that’s ok! But take any emotional weight out of your response. This way, you’ll avoid seeming defensive and instead seem credible.
- Avoid phrases like: “You’re wrong.”
- Use phrases like: “We’re sorry to hear you feel this way.”
Employee reviews are considered opinion, so take it as such, and respond with your own opinion in a kind and genuine way.
Set the Record Straight
Things change. Sometimes, a review describes a past working experience which no longer applies. Use this opportunity to update the audience.
- Example Review: “I was disappointed by their benefits package. I had to pay too much out-of-pocket for my medical insurance.”
- Example Response: “We completely understand. We had found that other employees felt similarly. In turn, we updated our benefits package last November and our staff finds it to be an overwhelming improvement.”
Consider the Source
Sometimes, it’s not just what is said, but who says it. Many employer responses to Zillow’s Glassdoor reviews actually come from Zillow’s own CEO, Spencer Rascoff. Several Zillow employees have even reported that they accepted their offer with Zillow because of Spencer’s contribution to the Glassdoor conversation.
Agree to Disagree, And then Agree:
You won’t always see eye to eye with reviewers, but you can still find common ground. Make sure to acknowledge any helpful takeaways even when it’s the most difficult.
- Example Review: “This company is more focused on speed than staffing up. Engineers work 13-hour days with no thanks.”
- Example Response: “Working long hours myself, I can’t say that I witness others regularly working 13-hour shifts. However, I do agree that adding more team members should be a priority. We’re currently, and aggressively, rolling out new initiatives to find talent with the same great skill levels of our current engineers. Meanwhile, work/life balance means a lot to us. Your feedback indicates to me that there could be some improvements here. I will roll this over to our managers so they can have this insight. Furthermore, I invite anyone with concerns over his or her workload to express those concerns to me, directly. They are also welcome to do so anonymously, if that’s preferred.”
Say “Thanks”
Always include a “thank you” within your response. Even for reviews with which you might disagree, this shows that you value employee feedback, no matter what. For example, Home Depot includes this token of gratitude with each review response they post.
Companies that value feedback and are committed to employee satisfaction have a better chance of attracting and retaining top talent. After all, everyone wants to know that they matter. Employer responses to reviews is a great way for an individual to feel that their voice has been heard (when you respond, the reviewer even receives an alert!). Likewise, Glassdoor readers rely on employer input when making their career decisions. So make sure to sign up for a Free Employer Account and join the conversation today!
