We were a group of professionals attending a dinner when one of the attendees, who was in between jobs, mentioned a job opening at a particular company; everybody gasped and said, “Don’t you even think about it.” Then, we all looked at each other and asked, “How do you know about this company?”
It turned out that despite us working in different fields, there were either people who worked directly at the said company or knew someone who did and everyone agreed that it was a terrible place to work. Why? Because of the owner!
The owner is notorious for being extremely rude and disrespectful of all employees in that they created a toxic environment where the turnover became remarkably high.
One of the attendees described how he attended a business meeting with that owner and their team to propose a collaboration, but that owner kept cutting off the speaker from the very beginning with things like “We are an important company” and “What’s in it for us?”, even though the speaker didn’t even get the chance to describe the kind of collaboration they’ll be having. Another one of us miserably mentioned how they were forced to work overtime daily with no rewards or compensation. Eventually, they quit because they couldn’t take it anymore. A third attendee told tales of how the owner micromanaged all the projects, making it hell for everyone involved.
It was stunning to see how that person’s reputation transcended professionals from different fields. I can only imagine how hard it could be for the recruitment team of this company to find qualified candidates for their job openings.
Self-absorbed managers are basically shooting themselves in the foot when they alienate everyone by thinking they alone can make the right decisions and get away with being obnoxious to employees. These employees could be helpless during their employment time, but their word of mouth is so powerful that it could create a weak employer brand.
A weak employer brand causes high turnover, making it challenging to develop high-performing teams, increasing recruitment costs and reducing employee engagement.
Other organizations, including potential business partners, may also hesitate to collaborate with a company with such poor leadership.
Investing in an employer brand is necessary for any company that desires sustainable success, a positive impact on customers, and retaining top talent.
