LöscheuleIt is one of the most common cases: someone has quit or been let go, and shortly afterwards a review appears on the profile describing wages, hygiene or the tone at work. For Google, this is a case of its own.
Why this is a conflict of interest
Google’s policies require a review to reflect the author’s own experience as a customer. Someone who has worked for a business is not writing as a customer, but as an involved party. Google calls this a conflict of interest and explicitly names former employment as an example. The category for it is called “Rating Manipulation”: there is no separate “conflict of interest” option in the form, and anyone looking for one ends up reporting under the wrong category.
This applies regardless of whether the content is accurate. It is not about true or false, but about the author’s role.
How to recognise it
Often it is in the text itself: “As a former employee”, “worked there for two years”, “what it looks like behind the counter”. Someone who writes about things a guest cannot see is not writing as a guest.
Sometimes it is not stated, and then it gets difficult. A suspicion is not enough for Google: without a clue in the contribution itself, the reason usually does not hold.
What you should avoid
Replying publicly that the author is a former employee is risky. You would be revealing circumstances from an employment relationship, and the contribution gets extra attention.
A counter-review, or asking friends to write positive reviews, makes things worse too: both violate Google’s policies in their own right.
Key points
If the contribution mentions the employment relationship, the report usually succeeds. If it does not, a different category is needed, or it is not worth it.
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These texts explain Google’s policies, not the legal situation. Löscheule is not a legal services provider within the meaning of § 2 RDG (German Legal Services Act). If your case is a legal dispute, you need a lawyer.