Emma Okonji examines how the newly introduced online solution by Careers24 will redefine the Nigerian employment landscape as far as employee-employer relationships are concerned
Careers24, penultimate week, introduced a new online solution called the ‘Company Review’, specifically designed to assess the performance of employees and the employers across organisations.
The new solution democratises employer performance assessment, thereby providing a two-way seamless communication pathway for both the employee and the employer to make informed decisions.
It is a feedback mechanism that provides unfettered access to employees to rate their employers, thereby driving employer/employee relations. It also provides an opportunity for employees to give completely anonymous feedback to their former or current employers. The platform also provides potential employees or candidates with reliable information and gives them valuable insights while researching potential employers.
The Company Review was created as a suitable platform for people to find and share reliable information about what it is really like to work for companies across Nigeria and to help businesses attract more relevant talents and ultimately, employees who are engaged and are a great asset.
How it works
To review a company, all a potential reviewer has to do is visit the careers24 website, www.careers24.com.ng and click on companies. One can pick either Company Reviews or Company Directory. Next, is to search for the company you would like to review and then click on Add review and follow the step-by-step guide. A reviewer can review former employers or current employers.
Already, the platform boasts about 5,000 registered companies which are available for review with over 500 reviews for different companies. Companies such as Guinness Nigeria Plc, Unity Bank Plc and Nigerian Bottling Company Plc, have already garnered several reviews based on information given by their employees. This number is expected to increase daily as the platform also allows reviewers to add new companies for review.
Significance of the solution
Speaking about the solution, Careers24’s Business Development Manager, Adegbite Oreoluwa said the most significant role the solution would play in the job market, is driving healthy competition, especially for quality talents among employers.
He said: “Employers will have to review the management of talents and ensure they create a lively, work environment. This will also make employers competitive in their hire and management process. Let’s use this analogy; we have two companies in the same sector competing for the same talent. Company A has received 80 per cent positive reviews while company B has received 80 per cent negative reviews. Automatically company A would gain more candidates for hire than company B. The company with the highest rate of negative reviews might even lose quality staff to the other company, hence helping to achieve organisational goals.”
According to Oreoluwa, “Job candidates in Nigeria have never been in a better position to research potential employers, and employees have never been more empowered to spill it all when it comes to reviewing their current workplace. This feedback will ultimately affect the future of recruitment and business growth.”
Improving quality
Client Relations and Business Services, Careers24, Francesca Oghide, said: The Company Review online solution is the voice of employees and it provides employers with insight into areas of employee’s dissatisfaction, which can be treated urgently to make current employees happy and to attract the right potential employees. I strongly believe Company Review is a right step to redefining the way employers handle employee relationship in Nigeria.”
According to her, from the candidates’ perspective, it is no longer about finding the right job but also about looking for the right company.
“This is why Careers24 has created a platform where you can find and share honest and trusted information about companies/organisations in Nigeria, written anonymously by current and previous employees of these companies.”
“When I speak with Human Resources managers, they talk consistently about employee retention issues. Therefore feedback is very important; companies can make informed decisions from the reviews gotten to reposition their organisation. If your employees love their work and the environment you have created, they will treat your customers better, innovate, and continuously improve your business instead of looking for the next available job opportunity,” she added.
Boosting productivity
Also speaking on how the online solution will enhance productivity at work place, the Head of Marketing, Careers24, Temitope Niyi said: “As a business, our goal is to provide a place where candidates or potential employees can get detailed information at the right time to help them make career-related decisions. We also wanted to give companies an objective insight into what their employees think about working for them. This inspired the creation of the Company Review feature.”
He added: “Our idea of the Company Review is to help improve employer/employee relations. We want to ensure that the reviews by employees are balanced and respectful which means employers can take the advice and improve on the office environment. For example, if 80 per cent of the staff of a particular company complains about inadequate training on the careesr24 Company Review page, the affected company can take that feedback and provide adequate training for their staff. This will keep the employees motivated, increase productivity as well as improve staff retention.”
