Company culture and the Glassdoor effect by Jon Hansen

Posted on November 11, 2015

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In yesterday’s post, I had made reference to a Forbes article by Josh Bersin  titled Culture: Why It’s The Hottest Topic In Business Today, in which he made the statement that “We have arrived in a world of “haves” and “have-nots” when it comes to attracting and engaging top talent.”

Bersin then went on to say that “Fortune’ Best Companies happen to be many of the same companies listed in Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work and also LinkedIn’s Most In-Demand Employers.”

This got me to thinking about the impact that social media has on the procurement world.

For example Glassdoor has, in the past, been dismissed by some as nothing more than a site for malcontents and underachievers to whine about a workplace misery of their own making. In other words, Glassdoor – and sites like it, are not a true reflection of a company’s work environment or culture.

Yet here is Bersin who, in an article in a reputable publication (Forbes), telling us that this is not the case. That a positive score in a Glassdoor and LinkedIn actually corresponds with another reputable publication’s (Fortune) “Best Company” designation.

It is hard to argue with Bersin’s assessment, and conclusions.

Returning to the procurement world, and based upon employee surveys, how do vendors such as SAP/Ariba, Coupa, Oracle and others measure up in terms of company culture?

The following general overview of procurement vendors from the Glassdoor website, include companies who have a minimum of at least 100 employee reviews and, have a score of 3 Stars or higher. The company rating is based on a 5-Star system.

You can access the detailed record for each company – including actual employee comments – by clicking on the individual box image for each organization.

Ariba Review Summary

Coupa Review Summary

IBM Review

Oracle Review Summary

SAP Review Summary

Zycus Review Summary

Based on the above, what are your thoughts? For example what, if any, impact does a company’s culture and a positive review on sites such as Glassdoor have, in terms of their ability to meet their clients’ needs?

As always, share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Posted in: Commentary