Glassdoor is a popular job search and company review website that allows current and former employees to leave anonymous reviews of their employer. While many of these reviews are positive, there may be occasions where an employee leaves a negative review about their company. Negative reviews can harm a company's reputation and may leave employers wondering if they can be removed from Glassdoor.
In this article, we will explore the possibility of removing negative reviews from Glassdoor and discuss some of the steps employers can take to manage their online reputation.
Glassdoor is an American website that allows former and current employees to review companies, called American Glassdoor, anonymously. Glassdoor allows users to search for and apply anonymously for jobs and submit and view their salaries.
The company was purchased by Recruit Holdings, a Japanese company, for $ 1.2 billion in 2018. The Mill Valley, Calif.-based company offers a recruitment and jobs platform with 59 million monthly active users. It also provides data about more than 770,000 companies in 190 countries.
Glassdoor is a platform that enables employees to see the workplace transparently. It's built on millions of company ratings and reviews. CEO approval ratings. Salary reports. Interview reviews. Questions. Benefit reviews. Office photos.
Managing your company's Glassdoor profile is essential to your business reputation strategy. Bad Glassdoor ratings can cost employers access to top talent that negative Glassdoor reviews will scare off.
Your Glassdoor reviews usually appear high on search engine results. Glassdoor is an influential forum that receives over 15 million visitors every month.
Research shows that 33% of employees reject job offers due to potential employers' negative online reputations.
Another 84% of employees considered the employers' reputations before accepting their current jobs. Financiers may also hesitate to lend to you and your customers.
It is challenging to quantify the ultimate financial impact of negative Glassdoor reviews. These losses will no doubt be significant in the long run.
Here we explain if negative reviews can be removed from Glassdoor and what other options you have.
Before we learn how to remove a bad review on Glassdoor, let's take a closer look at how Glassdoor works.
Glassdoor has a strict review approval process before publishing feedback. Glassdoor may, for example, ask reviewers to amend their feedback if they believe it violates its terms. But, sometimes, things slip through the cracks. If you are unsure, be alert and flag any questionable content.
The Glassdoor salary information is not verified and is self-reported. Some salaries may need to be corrected. Payscale.com and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics are better sources of salary information. Glassdoor's salary details are more accurate for companies that have many reviews than those with fewer.
Anybody can post on Glassdoor for any company at any time. There is no need to verify that they worked there or that the review accurately reflects current company conditions. According to Glassdoor's guidelines,
"Each individual should submit only one review, per employer, per year, per review type (e.g., company review, interview review, salary review, benefits review, etc.) Your content should be related to jobs you have held (or interviews you have had) within the last five years so it's relevant to today's job seeker."
Glassdoor claims that employees are not entitled to incentives for writing positive reviews. Glassdoor cannot determine whether an employer incentivizes employees to write good reviews. Although it's not ethical, it happens all the time.
Yes, negative reviews can be removed from Glassdoor, but only if they violate the site's community guidelines. These guidelines prohibit reviews that are:
If you believe that a review on Glassdoor violates these guidelines, you can flag it for review by Glassdoor's moderators. Glassdoor will then investigate the review and take appropriate action, including removing the review.
It is important to note that Glassdoor does not remove reviews simply because they are harmful. If a review is accurate and truthful, it will not be removed, whether positive or negative.
Glassdoor will not remove a review that is relevant to the company and does not violate its review guidelines.
The Glassdoor Community Guidelines outline the rules and expectations for all platform users. These guidelines are designed to maintain a respectful and inclusive environment where everyone feels safe and valued.
As an active member of the Glassdoor community, you must uphold these guidelines and help ensure that the platform remains a constructive and positive space. This includes refraining from abusive or discriminatory behavior, respecting privacy and intellectual property, and providing honest and accurate feedback.
Following these guidelines can help contribute to a thriving and supportive community on Glassdoor.
According to Glassdoor,
"We remove reviews when we find evidence of abuse of our "one review, per company worked at, per year" policy. Reviewers can discuss most senior leadership by name but can only name people at this level. We don't take sides in factual or contractual disputes between employers and reviewers."
A notable guideline for Glassdoor users to determine whether to remove a negative review states:
"Your review should be truthful and constitute your opinion and experience with your current or former employer. We don't take sides regarding factual disputes, so we expect you to stand behind your statements expressed in your content."
Negative reviews on Glassdoor may or may not be justified. The anonymous nature of the forum can allow disgruntled employees to post unwarranted negative reviews.
The above are some of the reasons why you may be justifiably paranoid about their bad reputation.
Enough with all the reasons why negative reviews are bad for business. First, you don't pay the reviewers to remove negative reviews on Glassdoor. It is unethical.
The following are some steps you can take.
Glassdoor allows you to flag any reviews you might find untruthful or violate the terms of Glassdoor in any other way. Flagging a comment doesn't guarantee that the forum will pull it down.
The company usually sends the flagged comments back to the reviewer, asking them to amend or justify their review. This process can take a long time, and the results may differ from what you seek.
If you are an employer with negative Glassdoor reviews, you may wonder how to remove them. Unfortunately, it is not possible to delete a Glassdoor review. However, there are a few things you can do to get a review removed.
The first thing you can do is flag the review. To do this, go to the review and click on the "Flag" button. You will then be asked to select a reason for flagging the review. Some of the reasons you can choose include:
Once you have selected a reason for flagging the review, Glassdoor will review it and decide whether to remove it.
To report content from within the Employer Center, follow these steps:
You can file a class action lawsuit against Glassdoor to remove the offending comment, which is unlikely to yield results. The law protects forums that accept user-submitted content. You can't force them to reveal the identities of the people who posted the comments or to take the words down.
The above information makes it clear that pulling down a review on Glassdoor is difficult.
Employees can get in trouble for a Glassdoor review, but it is only sometimes clear-cut. The answer depends on several factors, including the content of the review, the company's policies, and the laws in the jurisdiction where the employee works.
Employees are generally protected by the First Amendment right to free speech. This means they are usually free to express their opinions about their employer, even if those opinions are negative. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. For example, employees may be unable to make false or defamatory statements about their employer.
In addition, employers may have their policies regarding Glassdoor reviews. These policies may prohibit employees from making negative or defamatory statements about the company. Employees who violate these policies may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
Finally, the laws in the jurisdiction where the employee works may also play a role. In some jurisdictions, employees may have additional protections against retaliation for whistleblowing or other protected activity.
If you are an employee considering leaving a Glassdoor review, weighing the potential risks and benefits is crucial. Consulting with an attorney is a good idea if you are still determining whether your review would be protected.
False or defamatory reviews can also be removed from Glassdoor. Suppose an employee has posted false or inaccurate information, violating local laws and regulations. In that case, you may have grounds to delete the review.
Remember that filing a legal request to remove negative reviews from Glassdoor may only be successful if evidence of defamation exists.
If your attempt is unsuccessful, it's important to note that preparing this documentation does take time and energy- so plan accordingly!
If you feel that legal action is the only recourse for you, the address for the service of legal process is:
Glassdoor, Inc.
c/o CT Corporation
330 North Brand Boulevard
Glendale, CA 91203-2336
When Glassdoor receives a legal takedown request, the website reviews the complaint and decides whether to remove the content.
If they decide to remove a review, they will take the necessary steps.
Additionally, Glassdoor may ask the review poster to reconsider their post by giving examples of how it violates their Terms of Use or Community Guidelines.
In some cases, Glassdoor will refer disputed claims to a third-party mediator for further review and possible resolution.
If you can't have a negative review removed from Glassdoor, there are other options.
For example, suppose the critique posted is fair, balanced, and accurate. In that case, there is a chance to reply to the reviewer and explain why their experience might not reflect the company's values and culture.
Moreover, companies can watch for fraudulent reviews from actors whose purpose is to damage reputations and take action against them.
Here are some tips on how to improve your company's employer reputation and Glassdoor reviews:
Ask your teammate to share a positive experience they had with you. Ask employees if they would be comfortable sharing positive experiences with others if they positively leave the company.
Glassdoor believes that by not responding to negative reviews, you are missing an opportunity to neutralize them and showcase your employer's brand to all parties who will be reading them (including future employees, investors, customers, and current employees).
Research shows that 62% of Glassdoor users get an improved view of a company and its CEO if it responds to negative reviews. Such comments show potential employees that the company is willing to resolve grievances.
Based on surveys, Glassdoor found that 69% of respondents agree that their perceptions of a company have improved after seeing an employer respond to a review.
94% of respondents are more likely than others to apply for a job if their employer actively manages the brand.
You can encourage your employees to leave reviews. Explain to them how to leave a review and why such a review is good for the company. Be discreet with the timing when asking your staff for reviews.
For example, ask for a review after accomplishing a team goal. The review is likely to be positive then.
No, you cannot pay to have a Glassdoor review removed. Glassdoor has a policy against removing reviews that do not violate their community guidelines. If you try to pay for a review removed, Glassdoor will ignore your request.
Even if you take steps to remove negative Glassdoor reviews, some negative reviews will remain. If this is the case, you should not despair. You can still do things to mitigate the damage that negative reviews can cause.
By improving your company's Glassdoor profile and responding to negative reviews professionally, you can minimize the damage that negative reviews can cause.
If you are struggling with negative reviews on Glassdoor, it's important to remember that the company or the platform cannot remove them. However, there are steps you can take to address the issue and improve your online reputation.
One effective solution is to work with a reputable online reputation management company like NewReputation, which can help you monitor and respond to reviews, improve your online presence, and develop strategies to promote positive reviews.
Contacting NewReputation for help is a proactive step towards improving your brand's image and maintaining a positive reputation online.
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