How to Handle a Negative Review on Glassdoor or Indeed

A single unhappy former employee can leave a review that sits at the top of your company profile for years. For Singapore employers competing for scarce local talent while also relying on work pass holders, that review shapes who applies, what candidates ask at interview, and sometimes whether a good hire says yes. This guide sets out how to handle a negative review on Glassdoor or Indeed in a way that is calm, lawful under Singapore rules, and useful to your hiring pipeline.

Who this applies to

• SMEs and startups where two or three reviews make up the entire public record, so one bad entry carries disproportionate weight
• Companies hiring Employment Pass or S Pass holders, where overseas candidates research an unfamiliar employer almost entirely online before accepting an offer
• HR teams and hiring managers responsible for recruitment marketing, offers and exit interviews
• Business owners who have received a review they believe is false or written by someone who never worked there
• Recruiters and employment agencies, who are usually the first to hear “I read something about them” from a shortlisted applicant

The process below applies whether the review is fair, exaggerated or plainly wrong. Only the substance of what you say changes.

Key rules and requirements in Singapore

There is no Singapore statute governing employer review sites, and no regulator that will order Glassdoor or Indeed to remove a review because you dislike it. Both are overseas operators applying their own content policies. What Singapore law does is constrain how you, the employer, may react.

Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA)

If your public reply discloses details identifying the reviewer, such as their department, tenure dates, disciplinary history, salary or reason for leaving, you are disclosing personal data. Consent is generally required, and there is no exception for winning an argument online. A reply saying “this individual was let go for performance reasons in March” is a real PDPA risk, not a clever rebuttal.

Employment Act and contractual confidentiality

Most employment contracts contain mutual confidentiality clauses. Publishing details of an internal grievance, investigation or separation terms may breach your own contract, and it signals to every future candidate that your company discusses departures in public.

Tripartite Guidelines and TAFEP

The Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices, overseen by TAFEP, expect employers to treat staff fairly and handle grievances properly. They do not police reviews. But where a review alleges discrimination or unfair treatment and your response is dismissive or retaliatory, that public record can surface later if a complaint reaches TAFEP or the Ministry of Manpower. With workplace fairness legislation now taking effect, assume that how you handle such allegations in writing may be scrutinised.

Retaliation and defamation

Threatening a former employee over a review usually makes a small problem larger and can create fresh liability. Defamation claims exist in Singapore, but the bar is high and the process slow. Reserve legal escalation for serious factual falsehoods, such as an allegation of criminal conduct.

Indirect impact on work pass applications

MOM does not read Glassdoor. Employer reputation nevertheless feeds into outcomes MOM does assess. Under the COMPASS framework, points are awarded for workforce diversity and support of local employment. A company with high attrition, a thin local hiring pipeline and a poor public profile will struggle to attract the local hires that improve those attributes. The link is indirect but real.

Step-by-step process

• Pause. Do not reply on the same day. Nearly every damaging response was written while someone was still annoyed.
• Verify internally. Check discreetly whether the described events plausibly happened, and ask the relevant manager. If the review is substantially true, your strategy differs from one where it is not.
• Check platform policy. Both sites remove content that names individuals, contains slurs, discloses confidential business information, or is not from a genuine employee or candidate. If it fits, flag it through the platform’s reporting route with a factual explanation. Do not mass-flag reviews that are merely unflattering; platforms notice.
• Decide whether to respond. A mild negative among a healthy set may need nothing. A serious allegation, or a review sitting alone on a sparse profile, almost always needs a reply.
• Draft three to five sentences. Thank the reviewer, acknowledge the theme without confirming identifying details, state one concrete thing you have done, and offer an offline channel such as a named HR mailbox.
• Have someone uninvolved read it and check it against PDPA and confidentiality before it goes live.
• Fix the underlying issue. If three reviews mention the same manager or the same overtime pattern, the reviews are a symptom. Address the cause, then build volume by inviting honest reviews from current staff without scripting them or offering rewards. A profile with thirty genuine reviews absorbs one bad entry; a profile with two does not.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Replying while angry, or letting the manager named in the review write the response
• Disclosing the reviewer’s identity, role, tenure or exit circumstances, risking a PDPA breach
• Sending a legal threat over an opinion, which frequently gets screenshotted and shared
• Asking staff to post five-star reviews or offering vouchers for doing so
• Pasting the same corporate template under every review, which reads as automated
• Contacting the former employee privately to pressure them into deleting the review
• Assuming work pass holders do not read reviews. Overseas candidates relocating their families often research more thoroughly than local hires, not less

Practical examples

Example 1. A logistics SME receives a review complaining about unpaid overtime. HR checks the records and finds that non-workmen within the Employment Act Part IV salary threshold were not paid correctly for hours beyond the statutory limits. The company corrects payroll, makes back payments, and replies publicly that it has reviewed its overtime practices. The review stays up, but candidates now see an employer that fixes problems.

Example 2. A technology firm sees a review from someone claiming to be a former engineer, describing a product the firm has never built. The details match no past employee. The firm reports it to the platform with the specific factual inconsistencies and stays silent publicly while the report is pending. The review is removed three weeks later.

Example 3. A professional services firm faces a review alleging that only foreign candidates are considered for senior roles. Rather than replying defensively, it notes briefly that all roles are advertised on MyCareersFuture in line with the Fair Consideration Framework, and separately reviews its own shortlisting records. Should the matter reach TAFEP or MOM, the written record shows measured engagement.

How Singapore Employment Agency can help

Employer reputation and work pass outcomes are more closely linked than most companies realise. Singapore Employment Agency advises employers on Employment Pass, S Pass, Work Permit and Dependant’s Pass applications, renewals and appeals, and on the HR compliance foundations underneath them: Fair Consideration Framework advertising, COMPASS positioning, local hiring strategy, employment contracts and grievance handling that stands up to scrutiny. Where a pattern of negative reviews reflects genuine gaps in working hours, contract terms or work pass conditions, we can help you close them before they become an MOM issue.

Requirements may change, so always check the latest guidance from MOM, IRAS or ACRA, or consult a professional adviser.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I force Glassdoor or Indeed to delete a negative review?

No. Neither platform is obliged to remove a review because the employer disputes it. Removal happens only where content breaches the platform’s own policies, for example by naming an individual, containing abusive language, disclosing confidential information, or coming from someone who was never an employee or candidate.

Can I take legal action against a former employee who reviewed us?

It is possible in principle where a review contains false statements of fact that damage reputation, but defamation proceedings are costly, slow, and generate publicity that usually exceeds the original harm. Statements of opinion such as “poor management” or “low pay” are very hard to challenge. Take legal advice before sending any letter.

Does a bad review affect my Employment Pass or S Pass applications?

Not directly. MOM assesses applications against qualifying salary, the COMPASS points framework for Employment Pass, and quota and levy requirements for S Pass and Work Permit. Reviews are not an input. The indirect effect is that a weak reputation makes local hiring harder, which can worsen your workforce diversity and local employment attributes over time.

Should I ask my current employees to post positive reviews?

You may invite honest reviews, and many employers do so after an engagement survey. You should not script the content, offer incentives, or make it feel compulsory. Both platforms detect incentivised or coordinated reviews, and penalties can include suppression of your entire review set.

Key takeaways

• No Singapore law governs employer review platforms, but the PDPA, contractual confidentiality and the Tripartite Guidelines all constrain how you may respond
• Never identify the reviewer or disclose their employment details in a public reply
• Verify the facts internally first, and never reply on the same day
• Flag reviews that genuinely breach platform policy, but do not mass-flag unflattering opinions
• Recurring themes across reviews are operational signals, not a public relations problem
• Reputation affects work pass outcomes indirectly, through your ability to attract and retain local hires

If you would like to find out more about how Singapore Employment Agency can assist with your work pass and employment compliance requirements, please get in touch with the team at [email protected].

Yours sincerely,
The editorial team at Singapore Employment Agency

Disclaimer: This does not constitute legal advice. If you require legal advice, please contact a lawyer.