What are your employees saying about you online?

We’d probably all agree that your employer brand is crucial to the successful recruitment and retention of talent for your business. And while branding is of course comprised of your external marketing and communications strategies, it’s also impacted by the ways in which your employees are talking about you outside the office.

Your staff are one of your most important brand assets. They’re walking and talking business ambassadors who have existing relationships with like-minded and skilled talent that you probably don’t have access to. You can count on them sharing all the gory details of what it’s really like to work for you, revealing all the benefits and, of course, the failings too.

So imagine the impact of online employee reviews.

Companies like Glassdoor have revolutionized the permanent recruitment process in that your current and former employees can go online and rate your recruitment process, describe the pros and cons, and even review your CEO. The website has quickly established itself as the go-to resource for job seekers and recruiters to gain honest and valuable insights into your business. And if your company hasn’t yet been reviewed, don’t worry: it will come!

Embrace transparency

It’s not a stretch to imagine the potential damage incriminating reviews might have on your company’s brand. But before you run for cover at the potential damage, consider the scope this transparency could afford you as an employer. If the vast majority of us trust peer reviews and use social media, this is a fantastic opportunity for you to step up and win some incredible branding points, producing an ROI that marketers can only dream about.

Cutting to the chase, if your business is big enough to have a review on a site like Glassdoor, then it’s also big enough to start investing in brand management and monitoring the ways it can be improved upon. Get your staff on board in the following ways:

• C-suite management can optimize their own social media accounts to promote and strengthen the brand

• Human resources can monitor employee satisfaction and identify areas for improvement

• Marketing’s creative skillset can be tapped into to attract new talent

• IT will be maintaining careers pages and blogs through which candidates can find out what it’s like to work for you. Is your website communicating in the right way?

• Freelancers might need to be called upon to create engaging content for the above if your staff are busy with existing workloads

• The team: Conduct a survey and ask your staff what they’d like to see more of at work. You might be surprised by their ideas.

Improve employee satisfaction without spending more

Contrary to popular belief, it needn’t cost the earth to look after your staff; most employees would agree that it takes more than salaries and bonuses to keep them engaged and happy. Easy wins could be the implementation of mentoring programs, making work-life balance a priority and simply ensuring good work is recognized. Above all, show your employees you care and in no time you’ll start to see those 5* ratings, followed by a long orderly queue of star candidates.

Want to know more? Get in touch to discuss how your business can become an employer of choice.

Author David Morel Tiger Recruitment Team