Insights

We are living in a technology age and information has never been easier to access than now.  With increasing popularity of reviews of products, services, and companies, anyone can access what others are saying with a click of a mouse.  Job review sites such as, Glassdoor, Fairygodboss, and Vault are gaining traction because they allow a reviewer to be anonymous and leave truthful detailed writeups regarding a company.  This allows qualified applicants to see behind the curtain without taking a step into the job space.  Social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn also allow employees to speak candidly about a company where others can see the information openly.

Have you ever heard the phrase "bad news travels faster than good news"? If you have watched any type of news information outlet you will know this is true.  Based on an article in Psychology Today, the author states, "nastiness makes a bigger impact on your brain" (Marano 2003).  The article explains how studies show that people who take in negative information are more likely to hang on to it and expend more energy to process it, because our brains are wired to keep us out of harm’s way (Marano, 2003).  So, think about how people are processing negative reviews they are seeing on the world wide web about a company.  If the reviews are negative, a qualified applicant may steer clear of that company's careers section.

What compels someone to take the time to go onto a site and leave a negative review or experience?  People may not always remember what you said, but they will ALWAYS remember how you made them feel.

Company culture and organizational health play a huge part in how people participate within their role at work as well as when someone needs to make a job choice.  "Happiness makes people more productive at work" (University of Warwick, 2021).  According to the latest research from the University of Warwick.  Economists found that happiness made people 12% more productive (University of Warwick 2021).  What are the factors in happiness for your company?  This may be something a business coach can help you figure out as well as build out a plan to implement strategy to bring the organizational health up to an acceptable desired level.

If you are unsure what your organizational health score is or not sure what organization health is, you can ask yourself a few questions.

• Am I happy with the overall environment in my company?

• Are my employees happy?

• Do my employees feel safe to share openly how they feel about processes, procedures, culture, and company goals?

• Do I have company principles and are they defined to where my employees know what they are?

• Do I have character structure surrounding those principles, so my employees understand what is expected of them when it comes to appropriate behavior in the workplace?

While these are a few questions to help you get a better understanding of your company's culture there are more in-depth actions you can take to find out how your company is viewed by those who you employ. This is where coaching or consulting can come in to aid you in creating a coaching culture that can sustain a healthy workplace.

References:

Marano, Estroff (2003). Why we love bad news. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200305/why-we-love-bad-news

University of Warwick. (2021). New study shows we work harder when we are happy. https://warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/new_study_shows/