Staffing agencies and employers invariably look at a prospective candidate’s resume, work history, references and possibly even social media profiles before making a hiring decision. This process has become a double-edged sword, however, with an increasing number of job seekers now reading online Facebook reviews about a company before even deciding to apply.
Facebook touch is unfortunately not the only online forum that you need to worry about. Heated discussions and unfavorable feedback may also show up on LinkedIn, Twitter, Glassdoor and of course Google.
Here are a few ways to deal with negative reviews about your company on Facebook, as well as elsewhere.
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Set up automatic alerts when your company is mentioned on social media
It’s important to monitor mentions about your company on Facebook. And the easiest way to do so is by setting up alerts that notify you every time your company is mentioned on social media. This will ensure you’re staying on top of negative comments and criticism about your organization.
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Ask your employees to help
Ask staff members to be on the lookout for negative online reviews. Having a few sets of eyes monitoring things will ensure that nothing falls through the cracks. Establish a protocol so that any time negative reviews are spotted, management is immediately alerted. Don’t rely on your employees to respond for you. This can – and will – cause headaches down the road.
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Communicate directly with the person who posted the comment
Your first line of defense in dealing with a negative review is to simply communicate directly with the person who posted it. You’ll want to do so via social media if it was made on Facebook, or email and/or telephone if elsewhere. Whatever you do, don’t be abrasive or argumentative in your approach. Keep your tone neutral, otherwise, you run the risk of making things worse.
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Consider explaining the negative impact of malicious online reviews
If the review is from an existing employee, the best thing you can do is ask that it be taken down while you try to resolve their concerns internally. Often times, simply acknowledging that there is an issue and that you genuinely want to try and help resolve it will diffuse the situation quickly.
If the review is from a past employee, things may be a bit trickier. Start by stressing the fact that their comments are hurting the company, as well as their former colleagues. If necessary, ask employees to reach out about having the review removed. Most people don’t want to hurt friends or colleagues, so this may provide enough persuasion for removal.
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Legal action may be the last resort under certain circumstances
If the post remains online despite taking the aforementioned steps, you may want to consider speaking with an attorney. It’s important to note, however, that should be a “last resort” effort, and the review in question must be extremely damaging for a ‘cease and desist’ to be filed.
Reputation Management Isn’t Easy
At the end of the day, there’s no surefire way to prevent people from posting negative reviews about your company. Monitoring what’s being said, as well as addressing negative reviews head-on, is the only way to ensure that your company’s reputation isn’t tarnished to the point where hiring new employees is seemingly impossible.
If you’re having issues with negative reviews affecting your ability to recruit top talent, contact Star Staffing today. We’re experts in identifying highly qualified candidates, as well as placing them with our clients.