With 2.7 million people visiting Glassdoor India in May 2025, no one can deny just how popular company review platforms have become in today’s day and age.
Platforms like Glassdoor and AmbitionBox allow present and past employees to share their honest feedback, including the negative side of a workplace. As such, it is hardly a wonder that prospective employees tend to search for their company on such platforms to see if they will be able to fit in.
As an employer, facing criticism on a public platform can be hard and lead to losing promising candidates. However, like every cloud with a silver lining, these reviews also present employers with the opportunity to better their image and culture by making the right choices when it comes to handling feedback.
Don’t Ignore, Respond
Burying your head in the sand is far from an ideal answer to any feedback. Make sure to keep a tab on the company review websites in order to see what those affiliated with the workplace honestly think about the workplace.
“When a company receives a negative review, I believe the most important first step is to acknowledge the feedback openly and professionally. Whether it’s posted publicly or shared internally, I think it says a lot about a company’s integrity when they don’t dismiss or ignore criticism but instead show appreciation for the input, even if it’s tough to hear,” explained Sakshi Bansal, Associate Manager – Human Resources at TBO.COM, a travel solutions platform.
Be Conversational, Not Defensive
When answering a criticism online, ensure that you take a communicative approach rather than a defensive one. For issues you think the company can work on, acknowledge the point and state how your company is willing to make the necessary changes.
But what if there is a point that you are unsure if it is indeed a con in your workplace? Despite your personal feelings, you should not discredit an employee’s experience with the company. State that perhaps there is always room for improvement, especially when one points out areas of dissatisfaction.
Conduct Exit Interviews and Regular Feedback
Make sure to conduct mandatory exit interviews as well as regular employer feedback.
Exit interviews allow departing employees to air their grievances freely and highlight that the company values their input even now, which can positively change their perception and what they post online.
According to Bansal, “Employees deserve to know that concerns are being heard and that leadership is taking them seriously.”
Similarly, regular feedback sessions allow employees to share their thoughts about the workplace and what they might like to change. Even when things might not be perfect, employees tend to feel more positive about their employers when they feel heard and see changes being made to accommodate their input.
Address the issues
Handling reviews on platforms like Glassdoor and AmbitionBox does not stop at replying to comments. It is important to look into the mentioned issues and take measures to actively overcome them.
Taking active steps to overcome an issue that has been highlighted showcases that your company is indeed listening to the provided feedback. It projects the image of a workplace that is open to change for the better with the help of open communication and genuine introspection.
Take Note of Personal Grievances
Often, online company review platforms can be used by employees to share their grievances against specific co-workers or seniors. Both Glassdoor and AmbitionBox allow reviewers to use the names of real people as long as the information shared about them is related to their “behaviour or performance at work.”
“If a former employee posts a review online and names a current team member, especially a manager, and criticises their behaviour, I believe it’s something HR and leadership need to approach very carefully and professionally,” Bansal added.
If the information revealed about an employee on an online platform is something that does not align with the company’s values or the image you want to present, it is imperative to rectify the situation and verify the validity of the claims made by all the parties involved.
Why Reply?
With a review already visible for all to read, how can a company benefit from answering these comments? The answer to that lies in envisioning the long-term impact of your replies rather than the short-term effects that many might fear.
For the Consideration of Employees
Platforms like Glassdoor and Naukri have become a go-to place for every candidate looking for a new job. Some candidates look into a company as soon as the recruitment process starts, while others do so after an offer is made.
Demonstrate the Change
Through replies on online review platforms, companies can showcase their journey of change. Acknowledgement of past mistakes and sharing what steps the company means to take highlights the change management process within the company.
A Safe Space
Despite the best efforts of employers, it is possible that still do not feel completely comfortable in talking about these issues. Ideally, you might prefer having such discussions within the confines of the workplace, but the third-party anonymity provided by such creates a safe space which you utilise for fruitful discussions.
Increased chances of Boomerang Employees
Even if an employee has had a negative experience with the company previously, they might still come back if they can see that the company is receptive to what their employees have to say and has changed for the better.
Reacting to Malicious Reviews
Ideally, online review platforms can be a space for employees to air out their genuine concerns. However, it is not unheard of for some workers to use such opportunities to share negative reviews due to unrelated grievances.
What should you, as an employer or HR professional, do in such a case?
“Even if the specific claim can’t be verified, I think it’s a good opportunity for HR to step back and reflect on the overall leadership culture,” Bansal explained.
If the review echoes an issue others have also highlighted, look inwards and implement necessary changes.
If the review is false, its discrepancy compared to others will be visible to those looking at your company. Most employees admit that if a negative review is not consistent with the other reviews, they choose to ignore it, believing the majority over the outliers.
In either case, there are some steps you can take that might help resolve the issue.
Investigate the details
Through internal questioning, make sure to have your facts straight about any incidents and individuals mentioned in the review. This will help you draft a reply that contains real details, while also giving you assurance about the invalidity of the comment.
Send a polite but firm reply
Create a reply that is polite but sets the record straight. Refrain from taking a defensive tone and opt for an informative and conversational tone that showcases the image your brand wants to portray.
Flag replies
Depending on the severity of such reviews, you can file a report with the platform to remove such comments. In the spirit of transparency, though, this should be a method opted for only in extreme cases, as not every negative review is meant to be malicious.
Encourage employees to review
People tend to use online review platforms more to leave a negative review than a positive one. As such, asking your employees to leave a review should serve as a Call to Action, but nothing more.
Encourage your employees to leave a review, but do not coerce them into when or what they can write. Ultimately, these platforms are about workplace transparency and should contain genuine reviews.
In the End…
Negative reviews can be hard to acknowledge and even harder to respond to. However, for practical and constructive changes to your workplace, it is important to cross that bridge and work through the criticisms.
By replying to criticism and working towards areas of improvement, a company can easily become a workplace that its past and current employees feel proud to be a part of.
“This should be part of an ongoing effort. From my perspective, building a healthy work culture isn’t a one-time fix; it’s about consistently listening, adapting, and showing employees that their voices matter,” Bansal shared.
However, one must also remember that it is sometimes impossible to please everyone. What one employee might see as a negative reason might be what keeps another happy. In such situations, observe the issues with a broader lens to see what is best for the collective good.
Remember, a few negative reviews add more authenticity to your company’s reputation than a completely pristine image.