Should CEOs Respond When Employees (Or Shareholders) Complain About Them Online?
This week, the Harvard Business Review shared an online post asking “Should CEOs Respond When Employees Complain About Them Online?”
According to the post, “Social media has become an important employee communications tool that leaders should embrace. Employees are more likely to view socially active CEOs as good communicators and listeners, as open and accessible, and as more inspiring. But it’s important to know how to handle criticism, should it occur. Taking a few steps can help CEOs prepare for constructive exchanges with employees online.“
The article shares 3 steps to handle online complaints:
1. Foster internal dialogue. – Strong, proactive communication is not only important with employees but also with shareholders. The best way to control the public conversation is to drive it yourself!
2. Listen externally. – Listening an monitoring what others are saying about you and your company online can make you better prepared to meet a complaint earlier.
3. Only respond to criticism when necessary. To determine what is necessary consider the following:
– Who is the employee (or shareholder)?
– Is a CEO response likely to draw even more attention to the issue?
– Is the employee’s claim factually accurate?
– What platform was the post on? Does it offer built-in protections to keep dialogue constructive?
Before you decide to publicly address online complaints, read the full post HERE.