According to a recent Glassdoor survey conducted by The Harris Poll*, over two-thirds (68%) of U.S. employees would like a way to ask their coworkers and company leaders questions anonymously at work. In addition, 3 in 5 U.S. employees (63%) wish they had an online community where they could get career advice on dealing with workplace-specific challenges.
Glassdoor recently unveiled new community features that enable users to anonymously or openly connect in real-time with other professionals about their company and industry on desktop or mobile devices.
As a worldwide leader in insights about jobs and companies, Glassdoor’s reviews and ratings have disrupted how millions of people find jobs and research companies. With these new features, Glassdoor says it will help empower employees to build communities and gain helpful insights from colleagues and other professionals to advance their careers.
Joining me to explain what this all means for employers and employees is Glassdoor CEO, Christian Sutherland-Wong, a position he assumed in January 2020. He holds the responsibility of leading the global brand in its mission to assist individuals in finding jobs and companies that resonate with their preferences. Christian’s journey with Glassdoor commenced in 2015 when he joined as the Vice President and General Manager of Monetization. His high performance led to his appointment as the company’s inaugural Chief Operating Officer in 2018, followed by a promotion to President in 2019.
Before joining Glassdoor, Christian Sutherland-Wong served as the Director of Product at LinkedIn, where he managed pivotal aspects like the premium subscription business, payment platform, and API program. His professional background also encompasses experience in business consulting and banking. Recognized for his accomplishments, he was honored with the 40 Under 40 award in 2020 by the San Francisco Business Times.
Christian Sutherland-Wong is an accomplished academic as well, having earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was distinguished as a Baker Scholar. His educational journey includes a bachelor’s degree from the University of New South Wales. Beyond his professional endeavors, he contributes as a board member of Toolworks, an organization focused on helping individuals with employment barriers enter the job market successfully.
Interestingly, Christian’s earliest career pursuit was in the realm of arts – he embarked on his journey as an opera singer, making his debut as a soloist at the iconic Sydney Opera House at the young age of 11!
I hope you enjoy this special brand-profile episode of the HRchat pod!
Questions for Christian include:
- To usher in a new era and evolve the product experience, Glassdoor has revealed a new logo and brand identity that emphasizes the connections made throughout careers. Tell me more.
- Tell us about Glassdoor’s annual DEI Transparency Report and why it matters.
- Let’s now talk about some of the new community features released by Glassdoor:
- Users can have candid conversations in real-time with online communities to ask questions, get answers, network and confidentially share their professional and personal perspectives in a supportive space. How is this helping employees?
- Users can join conversations in hundreds of ‘bowls’ on a wide range of topics, from Industry Bowls like Finance to Interest and Identity Bowls like ‘Working Moms’ or ‘Black in Tech’ to private company bowls where users can engage with coworkers and leaders at their company. How are these bowls being used? What new avenue does this open up to users to share ideas?
- When conversing, users have the option to be fully anonymous or reveal elements of their identity like company name or job title. So there are ways to use the new features for networking?
About Glassdoor
Glassdoor is on a mission to change how people find jobs and companies they love by providing deeper workplace transparency. Professionals use Glassdoor to find ratings, reviews, salaries, and more. Companies use Glassdoor to post jobs and attract talent through employer branding and employee insights products. Glassdoor is a subsidiary of Recruit Holdings, a global technology company transforming the future of work, and a part of its HR Technology business unit. Learn more at www.glassdoor.com.
*1 Survey methodology: The survey was conducted online within the U.S. by The Harris Poll on behalf of Glassdoor from June 15-20, 2023 among over 1,200 employed U.S. adults ages 18 and older.