How to Remove Negative Glassdoor Reviews

Have you seen a drop in employment applications? 

A low rating on employee review sites like Glassdoor can significantly impact recruitment and stall growth and sales. 

Retaining top talent can save your company significant capital in the long term. Understanding the impact of Glassdoor reviews on your company's reputation is crucial.

Company criticism can come in many ways, from disgruntled employees leaving bad reviews to fake and defamatory statements. 

In this article, we will explore removing negative reviews from Glassdoor and discuss some steps employers can take to manage their company profile in the future.

The Impact of a Bad Rating on Glassdoor

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.

Trust and Reliability of Glassdoor Reviews

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.

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. 

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. 

Can Negative Reviews Be Removed from Glassdoor?

Glassdoor has clear guidelines regarding what can be removed from its platform. They typically do not remove reviews based solely on the employer's request, regardless of the review's accuracy or nature.

Instead, Glassdoor focuses on transparency and giving employees a voice. They generally remove reviews that violate their content guidelines, including hate speech, explicit content, confidential information, or false information.

Here are the circumstances in which you might be successful in having a review removed:

1. Violations of Content Guidelines: If a review includes hate speech, discriminatory language, explicit content, or false information, it is likely to violate Glassdoor's content guidelines and could be subject to removal.

2. Confidential Information: Reviews that disclose confidential company information, trade secrets, or proprietary data may also be removed.

3. Defamation: If a review includes defamatory statements that can be proven false, it may be possible to have it removed.

4. Legal Action: In rare cases, legal action may lead to its removal when a review violates local or national laws.

However, it's important to note that Glassdoor typically leans toward allowing employees to express their opinions freely, so even when a review contains negative statements or feedback, it may not necessarily qualify for removal.

Glassdoor will not remove a review that is relevant to the company and does not violate its review guidelines.

Cost and Time Considerations

Removing a review from Glassdoor can be both time-consuming and costly.

While reporting a review is free, navigating the process, especially if legal action or professional help is involved, can incur significant expenses.

The timeline varies depending on factors like the review's content, the evaluation process, and whether negotiations with the reviewer are necessary.

Even if Glassdoor removes the review, users may re-submit content within their guidelines, adding to the complexity.

Carefully weighing these considerations helps determine if removal efforts are worth the investment of time and resources. 

What are the Glassdoor Community 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. 

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 negative reviews.

Glassdoor Review Removal Process

Removing a Glassdoor review involves a structured process, starting with evaluating whether the review violates Glassdoor's community guidelines, such as containing defamatory or fake content. Employers can flag inappropriate reviews through the Glassdoor Employer Center, providing specific details to support their claim.

Legal proceedings or third-party online reputation management services may be considered if the review remains after moderation. While guaranteed removals aren’t possible, resolving negative feedback internally and encouraging honest, positive reviews can help mitigate the impact of harmful content.

There are two ways you can remove Glassdoor reviews. Flag them or take legal action. 

1. Flag Offending Reviews

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 moderates 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.

Flag the review (as an employer)

To report content from within the Employer Center, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Employer Center.

2. Click on the Reviews title.

3. Click the Flag icon below the content of the review you wish to report.

4. If a text box is provided (limited to 1,500 characters or less), explain why you report the review.

5. Click Send. 

Flag the Review (as an employee)

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:

• The review is defamatory or libelous.
• The review contains false or inaccurate information.
• The review is spam or irrelevant.
• The review is offensive or harassing.

Once you have selected a reason for flagging the review, Glassdoor will review it and decide whether to remove it.

2. Take Legal Action

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.

Direct Contact with Glassdoor

If you believe a Glassdoor review violates their guidelines, contacting their support team directly can be an effective step.

Use the "Contact Us" section on the platform or access the Employer Center to submit your concerns. Clearly reference the review, explain how it breaches their community guidelines or terms of service, and provide evidence if possible. Keep your communication professional and concise to ensure clarity.

While Glassdoor’s moderation team reviews requests, remember that removal decisions depend on legal standing and guideline compliance. Patience and persistence are key in this process.

Frequently Asked Questions About Glassdoor Reviews

Can Employees get in trouble for a Glassdoor review?

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 some jurisdictions, employees may have additional protections against retaliation for whistleblowing or other protected activity.

What About False or Defamatory Reviews? 

Fake 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!

How do I serve legal documents on Glassdoor?

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. 

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.

Should you respond to negative reviews on Glassdoor?

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 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 they respond to negative reviews. 

Based on surveys, Glassdoor found:

• 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. 

How to Respond to Glassdoor Reviews

Responding to negative reviews proactively addresses concerns and showcases your company's commitment to improvement. When responding, keep these guidelines in mind:

• Stay Professional: Respond with a professional and empathetic tone. Acknowledge the feedback and express your willingness to address the concerns.

• Address Concerns: Specifically address the concerns raised in the review. If appropriate, share the steps you've taken or plan to take to resolve them.

• Be Transparent: Transparency can build trust. Share information about changes or improvements your company is making based on the feedback when you can.

• Encourage Communication: Invite the reviewer to reach out directly to address their concerns. This shows your commitment to resolving issues.

• Keep It Concise: While addressing concerns is crucial, avoid lengthy responses. Keep your responses clear and to the point.

How to improve your company's employer reputation and Glassdoor reviews 

Here are some tips to improve your company reputation and Glassdoor reviews. Improving your company's employer reputation and Glassdoor reviews starts with fostering trust and a positive work environment.

Be transparent about company goals and how employee feedback drives improvements. Show respect by addressing concerns and taking meaningful action.

Celebrate achievements to build a sense of camaraderie, and actively encourage employees to share their positive experiences, whether they stay or leave the company. When responding to reviews, be honest, transparent, and grateful—even when the feedback is negative.

Use insights from reviews to make real changes, and communicate these efforts to your team.

A proactive and open approach not only enhances your Glassdoor presence but also strengthens employee loyalty and engagement.

Promoting Positive Experiences

Promoting positive experiences is about creating a work environment where employees feel valued and supported, which naturally leads to better reviews on platforms like Glassdoor.

Encourage open communication and show genuine interest in feedback to build trust.

Highlight your company culture and successes through digital channels and employee testimonials, ensuring your employer profile reflects your strengths. Positive testimonials not only enhance your online presence but also strengthen your employer brand, attracting top talent.

By focusing on reputation management and aligning recruitment activity with a commitment to improving the work environment, you can effectively counter negative reviews while fostering long-term loyalty.

Conclusion

If you are struggling with negative reviews on Glassdoor, there are steps you can take to address the issue and improve your online reputation. 

NewReputation can help you monitor and respond to reviews, improve your online presence, and develop strategies to get more positive reviews. 

Contacting NewReputation for help is a proactive step towards improving your brand's image and maintaining a positive reputation online.