You might work for a taskmaster, but think how much worse it would be if he knew you called her “Attila the Hun” behind her back. If you do elect to post to Glassdoor, I recommend that you limit your comments to former employers. That’s a shame, but since there’s no clear benefit to the person posting to counterbalance the risk, I can’t imagine many people would post reviews after this. This, in turn, has a chilling effect on speech and inhibits job seekers’ ability to see past the PR spin and get a true assessment of what it’s like to work at a particular company. Once people hear about this decision, they’ll be less likely to post on review sites like Glassdoor. No one wants to get dragged into someone else’s legal problems, especially after you’re no longer employed at the company being sued or investigated. Once anonymity is not guaranteed, people become reluctant to share their true opinion of a company (good or bad). To me, Glassdoor reviews are more akin to this type of speech than political speech.īut I’m afraid the damage is done. Labor laws have protected employees from retaliation for posting on Facebook and other social networks about working conditions and management practices. Political speech is not the only kind of speech entitled to protection. I question whether this reasoning will hold up on appeal. The court ultimately decided that, no, Glassdoor reviews are not anonymous. ( Read about the case in greater detail.) When Glassdoor refused to supply the names, the court considered whether the reviewers were entitled to anonymity. After finding some reviews about the subject company on Glassdoor, the government obtained a subpoena to obtain the names the anonymous reviewers who had posted about the company under investigation. To offer some context, the federal government had launched an investigation into one company’s contract practices. The court’s reasoning was that the reviews are not political speech and are therefore not protected. Much to the chagrin of Glassdoor users everywhere, a federal court decided in a closed proceeding that Glassdoor reviewers are not entitled to anonymity and that the government can compel the company to provide users’ information. On the contributor side, it’s satisfying to vent your frustration about your terrible department head or never-present CEO, knowing your review of the company is anonymous. Additionally, the review could be seen as a form of defamation, which is illegal. If your employer does not agree with your review, it could lead to disciplinary action or even termination. The reviews are public and other people, including your employer, may be able to see them. Reviewing your employer on Glassdoor can be risky because it could lead to negative repercussions from your employer. Sites like Glassdoor offer a rare, unfiltered view into salary levels, management, culture, and other things that the company’s external facing website and communications tend to obscure. Unless you know someone at a company that’s hiring, it can be difficult to know what it’s actually like to work there.
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