Research* highlights a major shift in behaviour among ex-employees. Over two-thirds (69%) now share public facing online reviews of former employers, with over half being of a negative nature.
The survey, conducted among 1,500 ex-employees, also found that almost a third of those surveyed were not comfortable providing negative feedback on company culture directly to an employer, despite over a quarter of people admitting to leaving because of negative company culture and/or toxic working environments.
Additionally, 29.9% of UK employees were uncomfortable sharing negative feedback on their line managers in a formal exit interview or survey with their employer, despite 34.5% feeling that ineffective or toxic line management was a key influential factor for them leaving an organisation.
Instead, employers in the UK are more likely to discover the actual reasons talent leave their organisations through public websites such as Glassdoor and Comparably than through internal exit interviews and surveys.
Áine Fanning, Managing Director of Cpl’s Talent Evolution Group, comments “a harmful cycle exists within organisations whereby ineffective line management and negative workplaces can cause staff to resign and head to public websites to express their feelings and experiences. Trust in organisations breaks down and belief or hope that honest feedback will be listened to and valued is lost.”
“To close this cycle, employers should consider ways to create a more welcoming and safe space for employees to share their feedback on the business. Empathy and appreciation, as well as transparency and accountability from businesses is vital to building a positive working environment.”
“By gaining insights into the true reasons employers are losing talent, necessary changes can be made by organisations to better attract and retain talent, improve employer branding and build working conditions that encourage improved motivation and productivity.”
The modernisation of the talent and recruitment industry means adapting and updating processes to align with new, digital ways of working and collecting employee and ex-employee feedback must not be forgotten.
The first job review companies such as Glassdoor and Indeed were founded in early 2000s and many other (e.g., Totaljobs, The Job Crowd, Work Advisor) competitors have since entered the market. Now, individuals can leave feedback about an employer or previous employer online within a few minutes. Popular global job site, Indeed, sees 189.4 million monthly website visitors, followed by Glassdoor with 50 million monthly users, further proving their popularity within talent pools.
Glassdoor reports that 86% of employees and job seekers research company reviews and ratings to decide on where to apply for a job. Combined with an increasing number of potential candidates assessing an employer’s company culture through their social media presence, a brand’s image thoroughly impacts modern recruitment behaviours and trends. Alignment from HR, recruitment and marketing departments is required to both build and protect a brand’s reputation online, and therefore support recruitment efforts.
