By Business & Finance 
One-third of Irish companies are ignoring their online reputations and not monitoring what is being said about them online, according to the Cpl Employment Market Monitor.
45% of those who said they do monitor their online reputations said that they encouraged positive online reviews to drown out any negative postings.
“Online reputation management is a very new area for companies, and even established corporates struggle to get it right. Companies need to shed their ‘corporate communications’ mind-set and instead be more flexible about who on their team can post about them and why, so long as there are checking mechanisms in place,” said Peter Cosgrove, director, Cpl Resources.
3.5% of companies said they’d try to take down any negative comments, 17% said they’d do nothing, and only 20% said they’d talk to an employee if they made a negative comment.
“Online platforms offer invaluable insight into how a company is viewed by its employees and its audiences. But companies have to be willing to listen. If they are getting consistently bad reviews, the reasons behind the posts have to be examined and dealt with,” he added.
Email was cited by 23% of employers as the biggest distraction in the workplace, despite its role in increased productivity. Employers felt email was a bigger problem for productivity than mobile phones, texting and social media.
The survey also found that employers are aware that 80% of their staff aren’t taking their full holiday entitlement, despite Ireland having the second-lowest annual leave allowances in Europe.
“This demonstrates how committed workers in Ireland are to their jobs. However, with so much research indicating the benefit of time away from the office, should employers be doing more to ensure that employees are well rested?” asked Cosgrove.
Employers also felt that flexibility was key to employee morale. Simple things make the difference in their opinion: flexible working times, and enabling people to work from home one day per week, were seen as helping boost team happiness.
