Glassdoor want employees to now review their workplace with their real names

Glassdoor has been providing job seekers with anonymous information about potential employers for years, but there are concerns this could soon be changing as users are required to verify their real names.

A Midwest-based software professional named Monica was one of the first to warn other users about this change via a personal blog as she urges people to “delete your Glassdoor account and data.”

She explains: “Glassdoor now requires your real name and will add it to older accounts without your consent if they learn it, and your only option is to delete your account…”

In 2021, Glassdoor acquired a professional networking app called Fishbowl which was then integrated onto the site last July. Every user signed up to the candid review platform was automatically signed up for a Fishbowl account. They require users to verify their identities which meant that Glassdoor’s terms of service had to be changed to require all users to be verified.

Currently, people’s reviews of employers remain anonymous but there are concerns around data privacy and anonymity. Monica says this change could put “people at risk with their employers.”

In a bid to learn more, Monica emailed customer support. After, she alleges that they “had updated my profile to add my real name and location, the name pulled from the email ‘From’ line I didn’t think to cloak because who does that?”

A manager within the Glassdoor content and community team emailed her back following further back-and-forth with other employees.

Monica shared their supposed response: “I stand behind the decision that your name has to be placed on your profile and it cannot be reverted or nullified/anonymized from the platform.

“I am sorry that we disagree on this issue. We treat all users equally when it comes to what is eligible to be placed on the profile and what is not, but we know that there are times our users, such as yourself, may not always agree with us.

“If you are not willing to allow your name on your profile, you will again need to complete Data erasure once you are able to. However, we cannot remove this for you or make the changes you wish to see for your name.”

The data policy at Glassdoor details the following:

“As a global company, Glassdoor is subject to a variety of privacy laws that confer a range of privacy rights upon our users. We are committed to working to support compliance with the requirements of these global privacy laws and ensuring the rights and protections they offer are available to all of our users regardless of their location. […]

“We allow you to learn about, access, and control the personal data that Glassdoor holds about you. This includes data related to your use of Glassdoor.com, Fishbowlapp.com, and our associated apps. Using the form at the bottom of this page, you can request that Glassdoor allows you to: […] Rectify your personal data. […] Delete your personal data.”

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