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If Your People Won’t Recommend You, Neither Will the Market
When we talk about a company’s image, we almost always think of two audiences: customers, whom we win over with excellent service, and shareholders, whom we take care of with strong returns. But there’s a third audience we often forget: our own employees.
And that third audience has the power to build or destroy everything we’ve worked so hard for.
The story tends to repeat itself. First, turnover rises in frontline positions: an assistant leaves, then a salesperson, then two warehouse workers. And the response is almost automatic: “We’ll hire someone else and problem solved.”
Over time, the problem grows: supervisors, coordinators, and experienced people start resigning. And when they leave, they almost never tell the truth. They mention “a better offer” or “personal reasons,” because no one wants to burn bridges with their employer.
But the damage is already done
Every person who leaves after a bad experience becomes a spokesperson for what it’s like to work at your company. And today that spokesperson isn’t just talking to friends: they’re also talking on social media. A company’s image works just like a person’s reputation, and today it’s built or destroyed in public.
You see it when someone thinks about applying to your company, asks someone they know or looks you up online, and the answer is: “Don’t even go near it.” From there, we slowly start to notice that fewer and fewer candidates are applying.
And here’s something few people factor in: the more damaged your reputation as an employer, the more you’ll have to pay to convince valuable people to come work for you. Because you’ll always find people, but these aren’t times to hire just anyone. We need people with talent, commitment, and good judgment, and those who have it get to choose where they work.
Add to that the cost of turnover: customer service errors, waste, rework, and a learning curve that, because of high turnover, never ends.
How can you tell if your company already has this problem? Ask yourself:
How many applicants do you get for each job posting compared to two years ago?
How long does it take you to fill a position now?
How many of your hires come from employee referrals?
Have you checked what people are saying about your company on social media or job sites?
There’s a very simple tool you can use right away: ask your people, anonymously, “On a scale of zero to ten, how likely are you to recommend this company as a place to work?” That will tell you more than many reports.
Also put exit interviews in place for employees who resign, and actually review them. These people have nothing left to lose and are an invaluable source of information about why they’re leaving your company.
With all this information, you’ll understand your company’s reputation in the job market and, above all, you’ll be able to define concrete actions to protect it.
If some of these questions made you uncomfortable, that’s no coincidence: it’s a sign your company needs attention. Your customers buy what you promise, but your employees know what your company really delivers.
“Listen today to what’s being said in the hallways, because that conversation is already on social media, and your next great hire is already reading it.”