Naming non-executive staff
Negative comments about identifiable people outside top leadership, such as a line manager, team lead or HR partner.
Quick testCould a colleague tell exactly who this is, and are they below board level?
London employers · Glassdoor · 2026
We can remove any review from everywhere
A former manager named and attacked in a one-star review. Confidential client details posted by someone who left angry. Five reviews in a week after a restructure. An interview review from someone you never interviewed. United Press helps London employers flag Glassdoor reviews that break Glassdoor’s own rules, reply the right way to the ones that stay, and rebuild an employer reputation that wins the people you want to hire.
0The short answer
Yes, when a review breaks Glassdoor’s Community Guidelines or UK law, and there is a route for every review that does not.
Glassdoor’s moderators remove reviews that name or attack non-executive employees, reveal personal or confidential information, contain threats, hate or abuse, come from people who never worked or interviewed with you, or break its rules on originality and one review per person, per employer, per year. Glassdoor does not remove honest opinions just because they are negative, and it does not reveal who wrote a review.
United Press is a London reputation agency on Bond Street. We read every review on your profile against Glassdoor’s guidelines, build the evidence, write the flags, draft professional employer responses and help you grow a steady flow of genuine reviews from the people who actually work for you. Where a review may be unlawful, we prepare the file for your solicitor.
The candidate said yes on the phone. Then she read your Glassdoor page.
1Why it matters
Picture the hire you have been chasing for months. A senior engineer from a Shoreditch scale-up, or an associate from a Magic Circle firm, or the head chef everyone in Soho wants. The interviews go well. The offer is strong. On Friday afternoon she says she just needs the weekend to think.
On Sunday evening she types your company name into Google. The first thing she sees is your Glassdoor rating. Then she reads the most recent one-star review, the one written the week after a difficult restructure, with a paragraph about a manager who left long ago. On Monday morning she accepts another offer.
You will probably never know that is what happened. That is what makes Glassdoor so hard for London employers: the damage is silent. You see fewer applications, more candidates dropping out after interview, and offers turned down for “personal reasons”. You rarely see the review that caused it.
The numbers explain why. Glassdoor’s own research with Harris Poll found that 83% of US job seekers are likely to research company reviews and ratings before deciding where to apply, and that candidates read around six reviews before forming an opinion. In a city where ManpowerGroup reports that 73% of UK employers are struggling to find the skilled people they need in 2026, every lost candidate matters.
The good news is that a surprising number of damaging Glassdoor reviews break Glassdoor’s own rules, and can be removed. The rest can be answered, outweighed and learned from. This page explains how, step by step, and how United Press can help your London business do it well.
2The candidate journey
Candidates rarely go straight to Glassdoor. They meet your employer reputation at six different moments on the way to an offer. Fixing your reviews means knowing what they see at each one.
What they see: your rating shown beside the listing on Glassdoor, Indeed and other job boards.
What to fix: a low overall score and an empty profile with no employer responses.
What they see: Glassdoor, Indeed and Reddit results for “[company] reviews” on page one.
What to fix: old, extreme reviews ranking above your careers page.
What they see: the most recent reviews first, plus the pros and cons that repeat.
What to fix: reviews that break the rules, and genuine ones with no reply.
What they see: how you treat people who do not get the job.
What to fix: ghosting, unanswered complaints and reviews from people you never met.
What they see: ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot summarising “what is it like to work at” your company.
What to fix: the sources those tools rely on, including Glassdoor and press coverage.
What they see: whether your reputation matches what they heard at interview.
What to fix: any gap between the story you tell and the story online.
Most employers only look at stage three. The best London employer brands work on all six: a complete, active Glassdoor profile, reviews that follow the rules, thoughtful responses, a fair interview process, accurate information for AI tools and coverage in the publications their candidates read. When all six tell the same story, candidates stop worrying about one bad review, because everything else they see contradicts it.
3Glassdoor’s rulebook
These grounds come from Glassdoor’s Community Guidelines and review rules. A strong flag names one of them clearly and points to the exact words that break it. Under each rule is the quick test we use when we read a London employer’s reviews.
Negative comments about identifiable people outside top leadership, such as a line manager, team lead or HR partner.
Quick testCould a colleague tell exactly who this is, and are they below board level?
Details that identify someone, or contact details for the reviewer or anyone else.
Quick testDoes it include a name, phone number, email or home area?
Non-public information such as client names, deal details, trading data, source code or unreleased plans.
Quick testWould this be covered by an NDA or client confidentiality?
Aggressive, offensive or deliberately disrespectful content aimed at people.
Quick testIs it attacking a person, rather than describing work?
Threats of harm to people or property, or wishing harm on someone.
Quick testWould you feel you should tell security or the police?
Attacks based on race, nationality, religion, gender, age, disability, sexuality or similar characteristics.
Quick testDoes it generalise about a group of people?
Posting as someone else, or claiming a job title or location the reviewer never had.
Quick testDoes the role, office or date simply not exist?
Reviews written because of rewards or pressure, whether positive or negative.
Quick testIs there a sudden, organised burst from one group?
Each person can leave one review per employer, per year, per review type.
Quick testDo two reviews read like the same person, weeks apart?
Content about your products as a customer, unrelated topics or advertising.
Quick testIs this a customer complaint rather than a job review?
Copied text, meaningless content, filler characters or excessive capital letters.
Quick testDoes it appear word for word on another site?
Reviews should relate to jobs or interviews within the last five years.
Quick testDoes it describe an office, owner or team from long ago?
Glassdoor allows reviews that name the CEO, founder, owner, president or executive director, as long as they describe that person’s behaviour or performance at work. If you are the founder, your name in a review is not, on its own, a reason for removal. A review that names your finance manager or a team lead is a different matter.
In our experience, the naming rule and the confidentiality rule are behind most successful flags for London employers, because angry reviews so often mention a specific manager or a client. Reviews that simply say the culture is poor, the hours are long or the salaries are low are usually honest opinion, however unfair they feel. Those need a good response and genuine new reviews rather than a flag.
4Two-minute flag check
Answer six quick questions about one review. Nothing is sent anywhere. The result is a starting point, not a decision, because only Glassdoor’s moderators can decide.
Does it name or clearly identify a manager or colleague below board level?
Does it include personal details, contact information or confidential client or company information?
Does it contain threats, hate, slurs or personal insults?
Are you confident the role, office, dates or interview it describes never existed?
Is it part of a sudden burst of similar reviews, or does it look like a second review from the same person this year?
Is it mainly about your products or services as a customer, rather than working for you?
◆Your result
Answer the questions
Choose Yes or No for each question to see how strong a flag could be.
5Anatomy of a strong flag
Most flags fail because they say “this review is unfair” and nothing else. Moderators need to see the rule, the words and the evidence in seconds. This is the structure we use for London employers, shown with an invented example.
This review breaks the guideline on naming non-executive employees1 and the guideline on personal information1.
In the second paragraph it names our office manager and describes where she lives: “[first name] in the front office, who lives in [area]…”2. She is not a member of our senior leadership team3.
The review also gives the job title “Head of Trading, London”. That role has never existed at our company, and we can provide an organisation chart if helpful4.
We have not tried to identify the reviewer, and we will post a professional public response once the review has been assessed5.
Use Glassdoor’s own wording for the guideline. One or two clear breaches beat a list of ten weak ones.
Point to the sentence that breaks the rule, so the moderator does not have to search for it.
Say why it matters, for example that the person named is not an executive.
Dates, roles, office locations and records carry weight. Anger does not.
Make clear you are not trying to unmask anyone. Glassdoor protects reviewer anonymity, and so should you.
Before flagging, claim your free Glassdoor employer profile with a company email address so you can respond to reviews and track decisions. If a flag is not upheld, a stronger second flag with better evidence, or a professional response, is usually the next step. Our UK guide to removing Glassdoor reviews covers the process in more detail.
6The UK legal picture
Most Glassdoor problems are solved through Glassdoor’s own guidelines, not the courts. But the law shapes what you can and cannot do. This is general information, not legal advice.
Glassdoor is based in the United States and its terms point to California law. English court routes are possible but more complex, so a specialist solicitor should advise before any legal step.
A review may be defamatory if it states false facts that cause, or are likely to cause, serious financial loss to your business. Honest opinion is a defence, and claims normally need to be brought within a year.
Some reviews describe concerns that may be protected under whistleblowing law, including the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998. Trying to identify or punish a reviewer can create serious employment law risks.
Employees named or described in a review have their own data protection rights. That strengthens flags under Glassdoor’s personal information and naming rules.
In 2024, reports that Glassdoor had added real names to some user profiles led to a public debate about reviewer privacy. For employers the lesson is simple: never try to work out who wrote a review.
United Press is a PR and reputation firm, not a law firm. We work alongside your solicitor or HR adviser when a legal or employment issue is involved. See our guide to reputation management in London for the wider UK legal toolkit.
7Why it is worth fixing
Glassdoor’s own research shows how closely reviews and responses are tied to applications. These figures come from Glassdoor’s US surveys and data, but London candidates research employers in much the same way.
of job seekers are likely to research company reviews and ratings when deciding where to apply.
Glassdoor / Harris Poll, 2023, USreviews, on average, are read by a candidate before they form an opinion of an employer.
Glassdoor US site survey, 2023of Glassdoor users say their view of a company improves when the employer responds to reviews.
Glassdoor US site survey, 2023more job clicks, and 16% more applications, for employers that improved their rating by half a star.
Glassdoor data, 2022For London employers competing with global firms for the same people, those differences add up quickly. A better rating does not just protect your reputation. It shortens hiring, reduces offer rejections and helps your current team feel proud of where they work. If recruitment is your business, see our recruitment PR agency page too.
8London, sector by sector
The same themes appear again and again in London Glassdoor reviews, depending on the sector. Knowing yours helps separate reviews that break the rules from honest feedback that deserves a response.
Bonus disputes, long hours and restructures. Watch for reviews revealing client names or trading details, which break the confidentiality rule.
Trainee and associate reviews about supervision and billable hours. Named supervising partners below executive level can be flagged.
Layoff waves, equity and founder behaviour. Founders can be named, but engineering managers and team leads usually cannot.
Utilisation targets, travel and performance reviews, often posted in clusters after appraisal season.
Rotas, tips and treatment by shift managers. Reviews often mix customer complaints with job reviews, which may break the relevance rule.
Pitch culture, freelance treatment and client pressure. Watch for confidential client details and named account directors.
Staffing levels and shift patterns. Reviews must never be answered with details about patients or individual staff.
In a team of twenty, any role description can identify a person. That makes the naming rule especially important.
9Response clinic
Candidates read your responses as closely as the reviews. A calm, specific reply shows that you listen, and it is often more persuasive than removing the review would have been. These three are the London themes we answer most.
“Three rounds of interviews and then total silence. No feedback, no email, nothing.”
“Thank you for telling us, and we are sorry. Everyone who interviews with us should hear back, whatever the outcome. We have changed our process so that every candidate now receives an update within five working days. If you would like feedback, please email our talent team at [address].”
“Salaries are well below the London market for the role.”
“We appreciate the honest feedback. We benchmark salaries every year against the London market, and we have just completed a review that has raised salaries for several roles. We would welcome a conversation with any current team member who has questions.”
“Long hours are expected and nobody seems to care about burnout.”
“Thank you for raising this. Wellbeing matters to us, and we know busy periods can be hard. We have introduced protected time after major deadlines and a confidential support line. We are always keen to hear more ideas from the team.”
Only describe changes you have actually made. Candidates and current staff will know if a response is not true, and an honest “we are working on it” is always better than a promise you cannot keep.
◆Build the reviews you deserve
Removing reviews that break the rules is only half the work. The most lasting fix is a steady flow of honest reviews from the people who actually work for you, so that one angry post no longer defines the page. It has to be done carefully, because Glassdoor does not allow incentivised or coerced reviews.
Invite the whole team at the same time, with the same message. Asking only people you expect to be positive skews the picture and can break Glassdoor’s rules.
Good momentAfter an engagement survey, when feedback is already on people’s minds.
Say clearly that reviews are voluntary, anonymous and can be positive or negative. Never track who has posted, and never mention reviews in appraisals.
Good wording“If you would like to share your honest experience, here is the link.”
No prizes, extra leave, lunches or bonuses for reviews. Incentivised reviews can be removed, and the pattern damages trust in every review you have.
RememberCandidates can spot a sudden wave of five-star reviews.
When you act on a theme from reviews, such as interview feedback or flexible working, tell the team and mention it in your employer responses.
Why it worksPeople review more positively when they see they are heard.
Add photos, benefits, values and a short description of what it is like to work in your London office. An empty profile makes every negative review look louder.
Quick winA complete profile takes an afternoon and lasts for years.
A single push creates a spike, then silence. Gentle, regular invitations at natural moments keep your reviews recent, which is what candidates read first.
RhythmWork anniversaries, the end of probation and after team events.
10Beyond Glassdoor
In July 2025, Glassdoor’s parent company Recruit Holdings announced that Glassdoor’s operations would be brought together with Indeed, so what candidates see on one increasingly shapes the other. Employer reputation also lives on LinkedIn, Reddit, Google and social media.

11Employer brand in the press
A strong Glassdoor page is one part of employer reputation. The other is what candidates find when they search your name: features, interviews and expert commentary in respected titles. Choose the publication by the people you want to attract. These are some of the titles in our current partner inventory, with domain authority (DA) and domain rating (DR).
Developers, data scientists, product teams
Analysts, bankers, finance leaders
Graduates, professionals, hospitality and retail
Senior hires, founders, people teams
DA is Moz Domain Authority and DR is Ahrefs Domain Rating, from our partner inventory. Labels and link types vary by title: for example The Times carries a discreet label with a do-follow link, the Evening Standard and The Independent are marked sponsored, and TechCrunch, VentureBeat and Entrepreneur (UK) carry do-follow links with no sponsored label. Every title is agreed in writing before anything is booked.
The strongest employer stories are specific and true: a founder interview about how the company supports working parents, a feature on an apprenticeship scheme, expert commentary from your head of engineering, or a profile of a London office opening. Each one gives candidates, and the AI tools they use, a more complete picture of what it is really like to work for you. We help you find the story, write it and place it in the right title for the people you want to reach.
12How we work
Send us a link to your Glassdoor profile, and this is how a typical first month runs. Larger employers with many reviews, or cases with a legal element, take longer, and we tell you so at the start.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
13Our standards
14In our clients’ words
“United Press built our brand from launch to nationwide recognition. Real media coverage gave new customers the trust they needed — our ROI has been over 100:1, which blows my mind.”
“The team understood our industry and, more importantly, understood the story we needed to tell. Seeing our company featured across relevant publications gave us a much stronger presence when potential customers researched us.”
“United Press helped us turn our company story into something journalists could genuinely engage with. The coverage gave our brand a level of credibility that was difficult to achieve through our own marketing channels.”
15Related guides
16Questions
The questions London founders, HR teams and hiring managers ask us most, including the ones they type into Google and ChatGPT after a hard week.
The basics
Yes, when a review breaks Glassdoor’s Community Guidelines, for example by naming non-executive staff, sharing personal or confidential information, or containing threats or abuse. We flag those with evidence. For honest reviews, we write responses and help you build genuine new reviews, and we support your solicitor where a review may be unlawful.
Claim your free employer profile, save a copy of the review, identify the exact guideline it breaks, and flag it with a short explanation that quotes the words and gives the facts. If the flag is not upheld, a stronger second flag or a professional response is usually the next step.
No. Employers cannot delete reviews. Only Glassdoor’s moderators can remove a review, and only when it breaks the guidelines. Employers can flag reviews, respond publicly and invite genuine reviews from their team.
Not simply because they are negative. Glassdoor allows honest opinions, including harsh ones. It removes reviews that break its rules, whatever their star rating, including positive reviews that were incentivised or pressured.
Top leaders such as the CEO, founder, owner, president or executive director can be named when the review describes their behaviour or performance at work. Other employees, such as managers and team leads, should not be named or clearly identified.
Yes. Our office is in London, but we work with employers across the UK and in every country, including companies hiring in London from abroad and London firms with teams in the UAE, Asia, Europe and the United States.
Flags and decisions
It varies. Many flags are decided within days to a few weeks. While a flag is being reviewed, the review usually stays visible. We track every flag and tell you as soon as there is a decision.
A rejection usually means the breach was not clear enough. We look at the wording again, gather better evidence and, where appropriate, submit a stronger flag. If the review is honest opinion, we focus on the response and on genuine new reviews.
You should not try. Glassdoor protects reviewer anonymity and does not tell employers who posted. Trying to identify reviewers can also create employment law risks, particularly where a review raises concerns that may be protected under whistleblowing law.
You should not pressure anyone to change or remove a review. If a current employee raises a concern directly and it is resolved, they may choose to update their review themselves, but that must be entirely their decision.
It happens occasionally. Reviews from people who never worked or interviewed with you, or organised bursts of similar reviews, can break Glassdoor’s rules on impersonation, relevance and coerced reviews. Evidence such as non-existent roles or offices makes these flags much stronger.
Yes, if you can show it. Reviews must come from genuine current or former employees, or genuine candidates for interview reviews. A job title, office, team or date that never existed is strong evidence, and we present it clearly in the flag.
Glassdoor expects reviews to relate to jobs or interviews within the last five years. Reviews that describe experiences older than that, or an owner, office or team that no longer exists, may be flaggable. Recent genuine reviews also push older ones down the page.
A wave of reviews after a restructure is common. Some will break the rules, for example by naming managers, and can be flagged. Most will be honest, so a thoughtful response that explains what happened and how people were supported matters most.
UK law and HR
Possibly, if a review states false facts that cause, or are likely to cause, serious financial loss to your business under the Defamation Act 2013. Glassdoor is based in the United States, which makes court routes more complex. A specialist solicitor should always advise first.
Sometimes a review describes wrongdoing that may be protected under UK whistleblowing law. That is one reason employers should never try to identify or punish reviewers, and should take the concerns themselves seriously. Take advice from an employment lawyer if you are unsure.
Support the person first, because it can be distressing. Then flag the review under the naming and personal information guidelines. Do not respond with details about the person or the reviewer.
No. United Press is a PR and reputation agency. We do not give legal or employment advice. We work alongside your solicitor or HR adviser when a case needs it.
Responses and ratings
Yes, for honest reviews. Glassdoor’s US survey found that 71% of its users say their view of a company improves when the employer responds. Keep responses short, specific and calm, and never reveal details about anyone.
Never guess who wrote the review, share details about their employment, threaten legal action, argue or promise changes you have not made. Those responses are screenshotted and shared, and they can make the original review more believable.
Invite your whole team, not just the happiest people, to share honest reviews at natural moments such as work anniversaries or after an engagement survey. Never offer rewards or ask for positive reviews only, which breaks Glassdoor’s rules.
It depends on your number of reviews and how many are removed. Removing reviews that break the rules can change a rating within weeks, and a steady flow of genuine new reviews usually shifts the overall picture over a few months.
Yes. Candidates read interview reviews closely because they show how you treat people who do not get the job. Responding to interview reviews and fixing issues such as slow feedback can make a real difference to your applications.
Yes. Glassdoor offers a free employer account that lets you claim your company profile, respond to reviews and keep your company information up to date. Premium employer branding products are optional and not needed to flag or respond to reviews.
Sometimes. A short, personal response from the CEO or founder can carry real weight on a serious or widely read review. For most reviews, a consistent response from the people or talent team works best. Either way, the tone should be calm and specific.
Be very careful. Do not discuss the case in a public response, and take advice from your solicitor before doing anything. Reviews that reveal confidential details or make false statements of fact about a live case may be flaggable or raise legal questions.
Search, AI and other platforms
Yes. Glassdoor pages often rank on page one for searches such as “[company] reviews” or “working at [company]”. That is why removing reviews that break the rules, and publishing strong employer stories elsewhere, both matter.
AI assistants summarise what they can find about an employer, and Glassdoor, Indeed, Reddit and news coverage are common sources. Improving those sources, and publishing accurate coverage in trusted titles, helps AI answers become fairer over time.
In July 2025, their parent company Recruit Holdings announced that Glassdoor’s operations would be integrated with Indeed. The two sites remain separate for users, but employer reputation on both is increasingly connected.
Yes. We handle employer reviews and posts on Indeed, LinkedIn, Reddit, Google, TikTok and other platforms as part of one employer reputation plan.
We work with employers whose teams are spread across several countries, and we check Glassdoor profiles in every location where you hire, not just London.
Yes. Candidates compare the salaries reported on Glassdoor with your job ads and offers. Reports that are clearly wrong, for example for a role or office you do not have, can be flagged, and publishing salary ranges in your job ads helps candidates trust what they see.
Before a big hiring push, a funding announcement or a restructure. A strong page takes a few months to build, and it is far easier to protect a good rating than to recover a damaged one in the middle of a recruitment drive.
Working with us
Yes. Employer reputation issues are sensitive, and we treat every enquiry privately. You never need to tell us who you think wrote a review.
Yes. Our office is at Brook’s Mews, Bond Street, London W1K 4HA. Many clients prefer a private call or video call first.
Fill in the short form below with a link to your Glassdoor profile and what worries you. Within 24 hours you receive a free review check and next steps. Nothing is booked until you approve it in writing.
Think about the people who joined you early, the ones you promoted, the late nights before a launch and the team that came through a hard year together. That is what working for you really feels like, and it deserves to be what candidates see first.
London is full of good employers competing for the same people. When a candidate is choosing between two offers, one unfair review can quietly make the decision. Fixing it is not about hiding criticism. It is about making sure your reputation tells the truth.
Imagine your next great hire reading your Glassdoor page and thinking, “That is where I want to work.”
Send us your profile link on the short form. Within 24 hours you will receive a free review check, with the route we would use for each review and what happens next. Nothing is booked until you say yes.
United Press · Brook’s Mews, Bond Street, London W1K 4HA · 07447 882377 · Working in PR since 2001 · Clients in London and every country