Employee Story Toolkit v.1
Employee Story Toolkit v.1
Values-driven Employer Scorecard
Values-driven Employer Scorecard

Values-driven Employer Scorecard

We spoke to job seekers to uncover the things they scan (often subconsciously) to tell if a company walks the talk on values. We then evaluated more than 2000 employers against those parameters in key markets like the Greater Washington DC region. We turned this research into a few metrics that you can use to see how you stack up. We also provide a few takeaways.

5 Areas of Research

  1. Weighted Culture Review = Review site ranking that factors where you get most review.
  2. Voice Power Ratio = How vocal are employees on review sites. Loud = candidate trust.
  3. Clarity of Values = How easy is it to find and learn about your values.
  4. Employee Stories on Website = Does the employee experience get prime real estate?
  5. Employee Stores on Socials = Are you actively committed to sharing employee stories?

Weighted Culture Review Score

All reviews are not equal (rarely do they tell the full story 😀 ). An employer with a 4.3 on Glassdoor (25 reviews), and 2.6 on Indeed (250 reviews) - is not a 3.6. Job seekers notice this.

In our quest to find top employers we weighted scores to more accurately reflect things. We focused on the single criteria for "Culture" across Glassdoor and Indeed, the two major platforms.

Calculate yours ...

  1. What is your ratio of reviews between Glassdoor and Indeed?
    1. Glassdoor Reviews = #
    2. Indeed Reviews = #
    3. Total Reviews = #
    4. Glassdoor # Reviews / Total Reviews = A%
    5. Indeed # Reviews / Total Reviews = B%

  1. What is current rating for "Culture" on each platform?
    1. Glassdoor = C
    2. Indeed = D

  1. Find your weighted Review Score for "Culture" = (A*C) + (B*D)

The Weighted Average for all 2000+ companies was = 3.55
The Weighted Average for our Top 25 employers was = 4.03

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Takeaway: Candidates scan things (dates, sort order, patterns, similar word phrases, etc.) and they notice the imbalances. For example - 5 great reviews, roughly the same length, all in 1 week. They read this as, "they made employees post reviews and were scare what they would say so they gave them a template." Red flag! Don't force it, don't fake. Take the time to respond to negative posts.

Voice Power Ratio

When candidates look at reviews the scan. They check out LinkedIn to see many employees you have. Then they scan reviews to assess something that we call "voice power ratio." How vocal are employees on review sites, regardless of positive or negative.

Calculate yours ...

Total # reviews (Glassdoor + Indeed) / Total # employees on LinkedIn = Voice Power

The Average for all 2000+ companies was = 31%
The Average for the Top 25 employers we ranked was = 33%

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Takeaway: Volume does matter. A lot of "real" reviews behind a 3.7 is likely viewed as more believable and trusted than a few reviews behind a 4.3. So don't discourage people from leaving reviews, you should encourage them to (without telling them what to say.) Review site ratings x voice power is a good barometer on he level of trust candidates are like to have in what they see.

Clarity of Values on Website

Job seekers told us that they want to see if a culture is unique and believable. They form an opinion based on where certain information is on an employer's website. We evaluated every company and scored them on how easy it was see what they stand for as a company, i.e. where do keywords like "company values" show up when searching Google.

Scoring:

  • On homepage AND in navigation header = 100%
  • Careers page = 75%
  • Other non specific pages = 50%
  • Not found or clear afterthought = 0%

The Average for top 25 companies was = 88%
The Average for top 100 companies was = 86%
The Average for all 2000+ companies was = 68%

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Takeaway: The top 100 employers we found are making a point of placing their values front and center, which is a better indication to job seekers that you take them seriously.

Employee Stories on Website

We ask them to share how they assess whether or not a company cares a lot about employees, especially during pandemic. They told us that they look for employee experience signals online. Social media was a big part, however. A sign of greater commitment was when a company took eh time to keep their website fresh with "real" employee content. They see through stock photos and people with First Name, Last Initial!

We looked for real employee success stories and authentic examples of their positive impact and contribution to culture. A maintained blog shows focus on talent.

Scoring:

  • Dedicated Page for employee stories = 100%
  • Hybrid Blog with employer stories at least weekly = 75%
  • Testimonials and / or one employee story a month on a blog = 50%
  • Employee stories found, but older than 6 months = 25%
  • Nothing at all = 0%

The Average for top 25 companies was = 88%
The Average for top 100 companies was = 63%
The Average for all 2000+ companies was = 26%

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Takeaway: The top employers are investing in employee content, keeping it fresh, and generally rate highest in all categories. But the vast majority of employers are behind and doing very little to showcase talent on their website. Quotes and testimonials is really not enough to stand out.

Employee Stories on Socials

Highlighting employee success on social media says a lot about leadership's focus on talent. It's easier to do than it is on your website, which is why candidates are MORE IMPRESSED when they see authentic employee stories on your site. The benefit of social media is that it is easier, you can post more frequently.

Consistency is key. Candidates are in and out of social media. Did that ideal story post in your feed right when they checked you out —- probably not. Based on this we evaluated companies on the quality, use of specific people and names, and frequency.

Scoring

  • Extremely Active with multiple posts weekly about specific people = 100%
  • Very Active with at least a single post weekly about specific people = 75%
  • Somewhat Active with a few posts a month about specific people = 50%
  • Found them, but they were old = 25%
  • Inactive = 0%

The Average for top 25 companies was = 79%
The Average for top 100 companies was = 44%
The Average for all 2000+ companies was = 14%

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Takeaway: The top employers are investing in employee content on their website AND social media. The vast majority of employers are doing very little to promote the employee experience to candidates with real employee stories. Based on our research it can really help attract talent and smart recruiting teams will do more in this area.