Reasons to Pause Before Posting

Posting an online review allows you to say exactly what you’re thinking when you think it. In the moment, an online post can be a vehicle for immediate retribution, a shared celebration of something great or a how-to for the masses. It’s also a way to blow off steam or warn someone away from a pitfall.

Posting opinions online is so common it’s become a go-to source for quick decision making. Who hasn’t narrowed down an Amazon purchase based on user reviews or checked out Glassdoor rankings when deciding to pursue a new job? The process also feels satisfactory because it can create feelings of making an informed decision.

Accurate Reviewer or Paid Troll?
With a personal sense of rightness on the line, we want to believe what we read is accurate. But too often, posts get written out of frustration and a lack of understanding. A post about poor service in a store or restaurant doesn’t take into consideration times when the business was short-staffed or overwhelmed by the number of people responding to a promotion. Instead, what’s seen is a business that’s ill-equipped. One bad experience becomes a negative review or post. Add in the dynamic of a bad day or other stressful events and it’s a recipe for total dissatisfaction.

Navigating the mysteries of a job search also gets complicated by online reviews. To avoid a bad employee/employer match, candidates spend time online looking for reviews of how a company interviews, the satisfaction of its current employees and current salary scales. Just like searching for reviews of a product or service, it’s all too easy to find examples of companies that trigger nothing but doubt.

A Different Perspective
Online reviews of jobs offer a one-dimensional view. What you don’t get to see are the inner workings of hiring. Using online postings and social media to post job openings is one of many ways a staffing agency can search for the right candidate. With so many ways to learn about a job position, not everyone responding to the job listing could possibly receive a call for a face-to-face interview.

Lack of understanding in the process understandably triggers frustration and an accompanying desire to post personal opinions about the rightness of the process, the company and anyone employed at the business. But wait. Before taking a gripe viral, know online reviews are subject to lawsuits if a post makes false statements.

Pausing before the Post
Defamation, the willful damage of another person’s good reputation through slander or libel, can occur through written or spoken means. With the massive reach of social media, one off-handed comment can reach millions in a flash. If the intention is to blow off steam make sure everything posted is factual or it could turn into a defamation suit that’s costly and time-consuming for everyone involved.

This article is brought to you by Staffing Kansas City, a full-service Kansas City employment agency that provides contract-to-hire, direct hire and contract employment placement services..