Popular web destinations for disgruntled employees to post reviews include career sites like Glassdoor.com, Indeed.com, Vault.com and Careerbliss.com. Some even turn to Yelp. To stay abreast, establish accounts on these sites and, where possible, set up alerts for when comments related to your company appear. Of course, ex-workers may take to social channels like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, too. They also might comment in news articles and blogs that touch on your brand. Catch the activity by setting up Google Alerts for your company, and consider using social media monitoring software, such as Critical Mention.

Here are more tips to deal with negative online reviews.

1. Establish a Response Strategy.
Include procedures like who’ll respond to the negative reviews. This can vary. Some companies might want an HR professional to reply under the company name. Others might desire current employee advocates to respond under their personal names. The bottom line is to have a strategy, which increases the chances of replying consistently and successfully.

2. Get the Tone Right.
Rise above the bile and deliver a personalized, empathetic response that shows your company cares about creating a positive workplace. This can include an apology using the more sincere “we” such as: “We’re sorry that you had a negative experience.” This can be complemented by a mention of something that the ex-worker did well while still employed. If the person is making statements that are patently false, keep your tone polite and still apologize, but correct the inaccurate information with facts. Thank the reviewers for their feedback.

94% of workers believe negative comments about a company on employer review sites damage the company’s brand.

Source: CareerArc and Randstad USA

3. Respond to Positive Reviews.
It shows you’re engaged and that you appreciate the feedback, implying you value creating a workplace culture in which employees are happy. Also, sunshine drives out the dark, so a swell of positive reviews with responses from your company can overwhelm the negative ones. However, don’t have current employees flood a negative review with too many positive comments in response; it looks disingenuous.

4. Consider the Criticism Objectively.
Does the critic have a point? Maybe. And, if so, negative reviews are opportunities. If valid, they point out areas in your operations and culture where improvement could potentially be beneficial. Use negative reviews that air legitimate gripes as a springboard for growth.

5. Nip It in the Bud.
Of course, the best way to handle negative ex-employee reviews is to see that you don’t receive any in the first place. Sure, it’s easier said than done. But there are things you can do.

Suggestions include:

• Be truthful during the hiring process. Set honest expectations regarding what the job entails, what the perks/benefits are, and what potential paths for advancement exist.
• Foster good management. Sometimes, when employees say they “hated” a company, what they really mean is they disliked their boss. Therefore, developing good managers who care about their teams and lead by inspiration, example and positivity can be an invaluable investment. Obviously, it will help with retention, too.
• Set clear goals for employees and provide them with the tools and support to achieve those objectives.
• Recognize employees when goals are achieved, and reward workers who go above and beyond.
• Say thank you often. It never hurts.
• Share in the success. Consider introducing a profit-sharing plan. Pay a fair market wage.
• Invite feedback. Provide mechanisms through which employees can feel safe giving sincere feedback about what they feel is effective and what’s broken within the company, their department and managers. Solicit the same type of input from managers. Review the feedback with an open mind and adjust as necessary.