A website that allows people to rate their employer has drawn mixed reactions from business circles.
Workrewired.com gives employees the opportunity to rank their former companies on issues such as pay, training and career progression for the benefit of job-seekers. More than 400 companies are currently eligible for reviews, which can be submitted anonymously.
Founder Greig Harper launched the site to provide information on prospective employers, and to combat the National Staff Dismissal Register, which was launched in May to allow businesses to share allegations of fraud, theft and misconduct by their staff on a nationwide database for up to five years.
Harper believes the website will be good for both employers and employees.
“The site will give more balance and background for job-seekers, providing an important view inside companies, while those companies will know how they’re perceived in the outside world,” he told Personnel Today.
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said it was up to line managers and HR departments to deal with staff first.
“As we have a National Staff Dismissal Register, it’s understandable that employees also want a way of sharing data about employers,” he said. “But good employment relations are still best achieved through face-to-face contact and effective management.”
However, Debbie Hewitt, managing director at RAC, said the site was “a great idea”.
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“The best sources of recruitment are the people who work for you, and this website is a true litmus test of what your people think about you,” she said. “Whether they write it on a blog or tell people, it’s better you know about it first.”
More than 60% of the reviews are positive, although some employers, including JJB Sports and Boots, received poor reviews.