HR Strategy

Don’t Bring Me Down! Responding to Bad Online Reviews

octobre 16, 2019

In today’s digital age, information is shared globally with ease, for good or bad. Employers may feel particularly vulnerable to online reviews from current or former employees. Having a bad online review can embarrass a company or tarnish their reputation. Worst of all, a bad review can hurt employee morale, recruitment efforts, investor relations, and public perception.

Learning how to respond to these negative reviews is an important skill to learn so you can recover, restore, and improve your organization’s reputation as an employer of choice. Responding to an online review may provide closure to the person who wrote it. Even if they don’t see the response, writing it is not a waste of time! Others will read the response, including current employees, potential candidates, customers, business affiliates, and investors.

Improving how these other stakeholders see you after a bad review is important. A recent survey from Glassdoor found that 62% of job seekers reported an improved perception of an employer that responds to online reviews from current and past employees. Doing so shows that you are an engaged employer and value feedback.

There is no way for a business to control who leaves a review or when they leave it. Reviews can come in many shapes and sizes, so it is important to have a plan. Download our FREE Positive Responses to Negative Reviews Guide to help you respond to anything that comes your way.

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