Maximizing Recruiting and Referrals with Positive Feedback

Companies that start using WorkHound initially expect to only see negative anonymous feedback from workers — and while our data shows that more than 70 percent of employee feedback is negative (and negative feedback is the road map to help make big changes – check out our 2018 trends), that statistic alone doesn’t tell the whole story.

When handled appropriately, even negative feedback can be used to create positive outcomes.

We’ve found that positive feedback comes in small, frequent doses and that the comments are fairly general and less specific than negative comments. “I’m happy here at my company” or “Love my job” are typical of the positive responses we see when employees are prompted by WorkHound to tell us about their workweek. It might be tempting to write these comments off, but they actually provide a useful opportunity for recruitment.

How Does Feedback Help with Recruitment?

Recruitment is one of the biggest issues facing the trucking industry. Drivers often work as contractors, and one bad experience can lead drivers to find a job at another company. Drivers often spend their downtime scanning online job boards, looking for new opportunities or a path away from their current employer.

When a driver leaves a positive comment on WorkHound, companies can use our reach-out tool to thank him or her for that feedback. Management can ask for more specific details to drill down into why employees are happy right now, and even offer them incentives to help spread the word about their positive experiences.

And What About Referrals?

Referrals, another feature of the WorkHound platform, asks drivers to share hiring information with other qualified, experienced professional drivers in their networks — whether it’s a former coworker, family member, or friend. Referrals are sometimes paired with financial incentives for both the person who refers a driver and the person who accepts the opportunity.

The referral process gives companies the chance to replicate a driver’s positive experiences. It helps happy drivers use word-of-mouth reviews to recruit others and grow the company’s fleet — and we’ve found that word gets around between drivers. When their positive experiences become known, recruitment efforts are significantly enhanced. WorkHound customers like Cold Carriers even share referral incentives in their weekly broadcasts. As we say at WorkHound, “a happy driver is the best recruiter.”

A Strategic Partnership

WorkHound meets with companies every week to track feedback, get insight into how they’re taking action in response to negative feedback, and craft broadcast communications to be sent out to the whole workforce. Positive feedback often appears in these communications, as well as in social media content and other promotional materials.

The Bottom Line

Positive feedback shows a company what it’s doing right, but negative comments shouldn’t be seen as a nuisance. Negative feedback shows management what issues it needs to know about: Perhaps the conditions at a terminal aren’t up to a driver’s expectations. Maybe a pay policy is unclear or needs attention. These are issues that should be dealt with promptly.

Conversely, positive feedback can provide a perspective about the conditions, policies, and benefits employees are excited about. This feedback often comes when a company fixes a situation that previously caused stress in the driver’s professional life.

We’ve seen this numerous times in our conversations with companies. When they start using WorkHound, employees quickly tell them what they’re unhappy about. But once companies begin to remedy those issues, drivers intuitively understand that their voices are being heard. A negative situation last month, solved through company or policy changes, can lead to a positive experience the next.

If you’re ready to take an eyes-wide-open approach to employee retention, talk with an expert today!