Would You Leave a Negative Review on Your Former Employer?

lookingforTV on 02/09/2024 - 20:36
Last edited 03/09/2024 - 11:15 by 1 other user

Hi OzBargainers, I've recently gotten into a debate with a friend of mine about leaving a negative review on your former/current employer on platforms like Glassdoor and Seek.

For me, I personally wouldn't as I do not see any benefits of doing so while can imagine potential harm. A friend of mine that works at a 'big tech' company said he understand why people do it and he would because..

  • If he felt strongly enough to write a negative review, it would be something worthwhile to warn strangers about.
  • In larger companies, your former colleagues would have ammunition to throw back at the leadership.
  • In larger companies, this kind of review will be 'all removed from one individual'

So I was curious to find out what OzBargainers think of this!

Poll Options

  • 31
    I would write a review
  • 52
    I wouldn't write a review
Education & Work

Comments

  • lookingforTV on 02/09/2024 - 20:38
    -4

    In saying that, I would write a positive review!

  • Wiadro on 02/09/2024 - 20:45
    +1

    who cares? You didn't like it; you left.
    let others learn with their own choice.

  • justworld on 02/09/2024 - 20:47
    +13

    Don't publicly burn bridges. It's unprofessional. In any event if it was that bad why stay there. You're the captain of your own ship - let your actions do the talking. I say this as someone who was unhappy with what I was paid as an employee solicitor - so instead of complaining, I went to the Bar and now my old firm is one of my main clients. Don't burn your bridges and don't air dirty laundry in public - this doesn't mean you have to take shit though.

    • lookingforTV on 02/09/2024 - 21:10
      +2

      I fully agree with you. Was surprised about his stance and wanted to know how others think.

  • elgrande on 02/09/2024 - 21:14
    +9

    The best thing to do is leave an Ozbargain forum post outlining all of your gripes, ensuring you leave enough clues about your role to allow your manager to identify you whilst they are tinkering on Ozbargain in the loo.

  • pizzaforlunch on 02/09/2024 - 21:17
    +1

    Do 1 star review on Google Maps counts?

  • rehan770 on 02/09/2024 - 21:27
    +1

    Problem is some big fat companies do not care what an individual thinks. I was called by one of the team leader last year who said I have to pay the company back as they overpaid. I waited to receive a letter but never heard back, when spoke to other team leader, I was been advised don't worry if you have not received anything in the mail & was happy to give me a reference for a new job. I have had 2 interviews since but no response after interviews which somewhere along the lines I think the previous employer is creating a havoc for me.

    • freefall101 on 02/09/2024 - 22:27
      +3

      The problem is big companies are made of many individuals who behave in varying ways. A small company the person who tells you to pay it back will also write the letter and follow up on it. In a big company you can get a dick team leader who demands it back because it hurts their budget, then someone in finance who cannot be bothered chasing it down, or it goes higher up to someone who goes "dude, we're not going to harass this person over $x".

      I work in the finance/data HR space. I've seen team leads say all sorts of things that are complete bullshit and are just wanting the dollars back in their budget. Other times they have zero authority and really, someone higher up will make the decision.

      I'm also the dude who writes policies on recruitment processes, trust me, if you're not getting a response after interview then the recruiter needs their arse kicked and nothing more. Unless it's baked into the process that they have to record the details of the post-interview phone call they probably just can't be bothered. At large companies no one is interested in retribution because doing so is a legal liability more than anything else. Even giving a bad reference is risky. Our reference check process is just a tickbox to make sure they're not batshit crazy.

  • freefall101 on 02/09/2024 - 22:29
    +1

    Glassdoor has started identifying users, I wouldn't post there.

    • JIMB0 on 03/09/2024 - 08:01

      Use a fake name.

      • datafellows on 03/09/2024 - 10:19

        Couldn't the company then claim defamation as this "person" never worked there and eventually find out the real name?

        • JIMB0 on 03/09/2024 - 11:05

          Use public wifi and burner email. Alternatively use language that says how things could have been better rather than focusing on the negatives. People can then read between the lines.

          • CrowReally on 13/09/2024 - 11:01

            @JIMB0: JIMBO had an eagerness to reply to comments with advice that could have benefitted from some more time in considering the situation beforehand, and how realistic their proposed solutions were.

            I believe with more training in this area they would be able to provide future comments that would be worthwhile.

  • El cheepo on 02/09/2024 - 22:57
    +1

    If i had a legitimate concern i wished to warn others about, i would write an anonymous review outlining the concerns and rate it accordingly.

    Anonymous because even with bad employers, I don’t like the burn bridges unnecessarily.

    If i just didn’t like the job or the people, i wouldn’t leave a negative review. Theres no point reviewing negatively over personal opinions, no one (rightly) cares about another persons dislike for the job or people as their own experience may vary.

    In saying all that, Ive never left a bad review online but told plenty to their face my thoughts and feelings 😂

    • lookingforTV on 02/09/2024 - 22:58
      +1

      Yeap! If someone approached me privately on LinkedIn or over a coffee, I'd share my experience plainly in person. I think that's fine! It seems like the majority is in the same boat :)

      • El cheepo on 02/09/2024 - 23:00

        I meant Ive told a couple of bad employers to their face what i don’t like and whats wrong - so no need for a bad review 😂

        But yes, talking with others that ask is common as well.

  • morse on 03/09/2024 - 05:03

    I see your friends points. You’d have to be careful not to be identified people have been sued for defamation even when they thought they were leaving an anonymous review.

  • ginormousgiraffe on 03/09/2024 - 07:06

    I would only leave a poor review if it wasn't obvious who I was. So as long as there were many others with the same job title, in the same location with a generic piece of feedback then I would do it. Usually I wait 3-6 months before leaving a review (good or bad) anyway.

  • MrThing on 03/09/2024 - 08:46
    +2

    If I hated it so much, I wouldn't even be bothered to let them know that they are still taking up room in my head rent free.

  • bohn on 03/09/2024 - 10:14

    One annoying thing about glassdoor - you try and login to check some data points etc, and it says, Oh we haven't seen you in some time - in order to keep using the site, please leave a review.

    So I am sure numerous people just input some fake review in order to keep using it… so stupid to force a review out of people.

  • Fredfloresjr on 03/09/2024 - 10:24

    Never and won't do it.

  • Seraphin7 on 03/09/2024 - 12:25
    +2

    In (almost) every workplace there are good and bad things. Typically the weighting of these things is a function of the actual people/teams you spend most of your time with, rather than an absolute statement on the business as a whole.

    In my professional experience, I can honestly say I've got something positive out of every workplace I've ever been to, bar one. Of course, things tilt over time and there comes a time where for various reasons it's time to move on. That doesn't mean that all the positives evaporate … rather that things have tilted in favour of deciding it's time to move on as you believe superior opportunities for you lie elsewhere.

  • Ghost47 on 03/09/2024 - 18:09
    +1

    Yes I would and have done so in the past (anonymously, months after I'd left and after other people had left reviews). If there are organisations out there that have a lack of proper processes, standards, poor management, salespeople who sell things that can't even be delivered etc. it should be called out so that other people who want to do good work and make change can avoid applying to those companies.

    • rehan770 on 11/09/2024 - 00:07

      I believe that's a good sign but it's easy for the employer to track it down, nowadays if I'm not wrong. Internet is very dangerous when it comes to Big Brother's who's always watching . 😐

  • jugsy on 05/09/2024 - 11:34

    I do it DURING employment, shame glassdoor turned in to Linkedin Lite though.

  • Counter Intelligence on 05/09/2024 - 18:28

    These reviews are extremely valuable for prospective employees.

    For example reviews can help identify which employers are not making superannuation contributions.

    They can also reveal which workplaces have a toxic work culture.

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