Attempting to buy positive reviews backfires on Lanistar
Fintech business Lanistar’s latest bold initiative to boost recruitment has landed them in hot water. Effective recruitment strategies are not just about a business picking the best applicants, they are about attracting the best applicants in the first place. In this way, recruitment comparison websites like Glassdoor, which include company reviews from existing and former employees as part of their job search functions, can have a significant impact on the quality of applicants coming through the door. Financial News reports that Lanistar had a low Glassdoor rating following allegations of sexual harassment and bullying.
They aimed to counter this by offering employees up to £2,000 if they left positive reviews on Glassdoor. Unfortunately, their emails urging employees to leave reviews and plugging the financial rewards available if they did were leaked. Glassdoor have confirmed that they will take down any reviews that have been written in return for financial reward. The whole initiative has certainly raised Lanistar’s profile – just not perhaps in the way they had hoped!