Google has revised its Google My Business review guidelines, providing more detailed information regarding conflicts of interest.
According to the updated guidelines, posting negative reviews about a current or former employer is now seen as a conflict of interest.
As these types of reviews violate the new guidelines, businesses can now request to have them removed. So if some dissatisfied employees are affecting your review score, you have the option to get those problematic reviews taken down.
These updates align with Google’s standing review policies, which advise against reviewing your own business or employer. While the earlier policies did not clearly specify, the latest update explicitly states that negative reviews are prohibited.
Does this mean that positive reviews about a current or former employer are acceptable? Technically, both are conflicts of interest, but it’s unlikely that a positive review will be reported.
A notable change in the new guidelines is that former employees are also now prohibited from leaving reviews about their past employer. Previously, the guidelines only identified reviews from current employees as a conflict of interest.
The takeaway is that reviews of employers, whether from current or former employees, are not allowed. For those wishing to leave reviews about their employer, whether negative or positive, it is better to do so on platforms like Glassdoor.
