3

I was let got from a company. Mostly because of my manager with whom I didn't click and things that happened.

I have feedback for them to improve the work environment and communication. Should I put these in a the cons section of a Glassdoor review or email the manager directly.. or take no action? It will be easy for the company to identity who wrote the review. The company is small.

Tony_Henrich
  • 191
  • 1
  • 5
  • 1
    Have a look at this question, particularly the accepted answer. The situation there is different but the advice still applicable – rath Feb 02 '15 at 07:41
  • 2
    I have declined further interviews at a company partly because of what appeared on Glassdoor. The reason you gave for being terminated, however, is kind of vague. "Not clicking" with a manager is something that can happen anywhere at any company it wouldn't concern me at all if I read that on glassdoor. You'll have to be more specific within the parameters given by glassdoor to even slightly influence others-- and by others I only mean potential future candidates. Organizations don't change so easily. The "person responsible" probably feels he made the right decision regardless of what you say – teego1967 Feb 02 '15 at 11:26
  • If you can contribute the "not clicking" to something a little more concrete, that would be helpful. –  Feb 02 '15 at 13:41
  • Note: I see a growing range of comments and answers here (including mine) and some diverge from the stated question: "I have feedback for them to improve the work environment and communication" or information "It will be easy to identify me". So please do not answer questions that are not here like "Is leaving feedback on Glassdoor useful for others?". –  Feb 02 '15 at 14:16
  • If you have thoughts on how to improve the company/managing style/etc., talk to your manager about them when you have them, rather than waiting until you are no longer with the company, then criticizing. Do not email the manager now, any email like that will appear like sour grapes, and will be ignored and make you look worse. If you really must post something on Glassdoor, make it a legitimate review, and not just a rant, or a roundabout attempt to relay criticism. – Kai Feb 02 '15 at 16:19
  • @Kai Glassdoor has pros and cons sections. I have a handful of pros too so it's balanced. Some managers behave negatively to any criticism and it just shortens your life expectancy at the company... or hinders advancement there. Anyway, I decided to do nothing. – Tony_Henrich Feb 03 '15 at 02:11

2 Answers2

8

Ask your self this: What will I gain by doing either of these things? (or alternately, what risks do I face if I do post?)

Sending unsolicited "advice" directly to your former manager will at best be ignored, at worst will be labeled as "sour grapes" and word does get around in cities and industries; people outside the company probably will hear about it eventually.

In my (admittedly limited) experience, even attempting to give constructive feedback in amicable exit interviews usually doesn't result in any change in the company.

You already know that if you post on Glassdoor, you'll be identifiable. See above about how the email would be perceived. Do companies really make changes based on semi-anonymous reviews posted on sites like that? Do you think someone will read that and immediately say "oh wow, he's totally right, we're all fools" and change the company culture?

Right now, you're probably feeling a lot of emotions because your separation from the company was so recent. You want to do something in an attempt to "correct" it. Give yourself time to cool off and I think you'll come to the realization that doing nothing is the best thing you can do for yourself.

If you really need to get it out of your system, write what you want to write, and then throw it away.

alroc
  • 17,916
  • 8
  • 61
  • 63
6

If I were considering working for your previous company, I'd appreciate a post on glassdoor so I can be wary, and look for signs confirming (or not) the negative review. So by posting to glassdoor, you'd be doing someone else a favor, but in all likyhood not yourself.

mart
  • 2,842
  • 3
  • 20
  • 25
  • You think Glassdoor provides a balanced view of a company, with a self-selecting sample of opinions? I've checked my former and current employers, both good and average - none was fair, all were dominated by the malcontents, the good companies appeared average and the average appeared like hell on earth. – Fiora the Ferret Feb 02 '15 at 15:49
  • 3
    @JuliaHayward - Most people assume that and only use it as one piece of information. There are ways to follow-up on the complaints during the job interview, but if the company proclaims "work life balance" do you just take their word for it? –  Feb 02 '15 at 19:22
  • 1
    ... that's why I wrote about looking for signs confirming or not confirming the negative review. Also, who and what's to stop the OP from writing a fair and useful critique? – mart Feb 02 '15 at 20:04