The Challenge: Glassdoor is the Yelp of the workplace, and the reviews your company receives really matter. Salesforce.com is arguably the No. 1 large company to work for in the world. Their Glassdoor approval score is 4.4/5, and 89 percent would recommend the company to a friend. Marc Benioff, the CEO, has an approval rating of 98 percent. During the five years I spent as CPO at ATB Financial, our score was consistently 4.4, and CEO Dave Mowat had a 99 percent approval rating, the highest of all Glassdoor companies with more than 5,000 employees in the world. That’s a WOW!
Salesforce.com analyzed both employee turnover and recruitment success. Here’s what they found out: The great people who left, went to companies with a higher Glassdoor score, and they attracted top people from companies with scores lower than Salesforce. It was that clear, and subsequently they pay very close attention to their Glassdoor status.
The Solution: When I ask a lot of people what their Glassdoor score is, many still say “huh?” Too many people are unfamiliar or ambivalent. Here’s an article covering companies with over 5,000 employees who have the worst Glassdoor scores in 2019. The average overall score (among almost 50,000 organizations) is 3.4/5. Crappy companies are in the 2.0’s. If you read this statement about your company or one that you might be interested in joining, what would you think?: “There is a lack of stability and ongoing headcount cuts makes for bunch of unease. Constantly getting new managers as everyone leaves or gets let go so creates a constant starting from scratch. Very negative management style seems to be the normal. Plant closures has begun and maybe to continue so is gloomy as there is a sense of defeat and don’t [sic] get feeling that there is proper plan.” This is a direct quote from one of the sucky companies. I could have picked much worse.
What we can do about it?
- If you’re a leader, have a game plan to get the score over 3.4 (unless you like being average). The best organizations strive to stay over 4.0. Be aware of the comments on Glassdoor. Don’t overreact to one off “haters,” but the trend is your friend or not! Take proactive action.
- If you’re a team member, be aware of what people are saying about your company and be prepared to honestly post about your workplace. Insist that the company pays attention to the comments. It’s an important listening post!
- Go to your Glassdoor score now and find out.
Think Big, Start Small, Act Now,
Lorne
One Millennial View: A great score on Glassdoor is a nice badge of honor. While it’s imperfect, and could be potentially infiltrated by bots, it’s one important data source. Since every organization is invited and joining the Glassdoor party, you might as well strive to be a highly rated guest (and skipping the invite isn’t a good look either).
– Garrett
Edited and published by Garrett Rubis