Glass House

DO YOU EVER HAVE an encounter with someone and wish you could leave them a Yelp review? “Jane didn’t hold the door open for me.” “John didn’t use his turn signal.” “Joe continues to cut me off when I speak.”

“Black Mirror” touched on this in an episode in 2016. In the Netflix show’s false reality, humans rate each other from one to five stars for every interaction they have, which then impacts their socioeconomic status. The main character ends up spiraling out of control as her stars continue to dwindle due to small, and then major, social mistakes.

Luckily, we don’t live in a “Black Mirror” episode (although 2020 does have me questioning this from time to time… ). We do, however, live in a world where reviews on Yelp, Glassdoor, Google, Facebook,
and more can make or break your business. But remember, these reviews don’t always come from your customers.

When is the last time you looked at the Glassdoor profile for your company? Maybe this is the first
time you’re hearing of the website. It’s a place where current and former employees anonymously review businesses. Even those who have interviewed with your shop can leave comments. Take a look at the site. What does your evaluation show? Are you happy with the responses or are you shocked by what previous or even current employees are saying about your leadership, company culture, pay, and perks?

This is an important tool to use because employee satisfaction can very well go hand in hand with
company performance. This is where your customers come back into play. Curious/potential future staff aren’t the only ones looking at your reviews – your clients are, as well. Your page on Glassdoor allows them to get an inside look into your business. If your employees are complaining about poor leadership or high turnover, you’re less likely to gain that new customer.

If your shop doesn’t have a presence on Glassdoor, ask your team members directly for tips on how
you can better their work experience. Brian Adam, Olympus Group, and one of Glassdoor’s top 25 CEOs to work for in 2017, says to create a suggestion program, do lunch and learns, and have exit interviews with your current employees on a yearly basis.

At Big Picture, we’re always looking for your advice. We were recently acquired by SmartWork Media
and will be working with our new team to better our brands for you, our audience. Now’s the time to leave us a review – let us know how we’re doing, what you’d like to learn, what we can stop covering, and what we should start. Join our Brain Squad and take our reader survey at bigpicture.net/readersurvey to help us find out what matters most to you. We’re here to better your business, as well.