Can Employees Leave Reviews for Their Own Company? Google Rules and the FTC Rule

No. Google's Maps content policy treats reviews based on a conflict of interest as prohibited, and it lists current or former employment as an example. That means employees, owners and managers should not leave Google reviews for their own company, even if they disclose that they work there. In the US, the FTC's rule on consumer reviews adds legal disclosure duties for insider reviews on top of that.

Below: what each rule actually says, a simple staff policy you can adopt today, and what to do if employees have already posted reviews.

What Google's policy says about employee reviews

Google's Maps User Generated Content Policy says contributions "should reflect a genuine experience at a place or business" and that fake engagement "will be removed." Under both its rating manipulation and misrepresentation sections, it prohibits content based on a conflict of interest.

The policy defines that conflict broadly: "current or former employment, a contractual or consultory relationship, or other professional or personal affiliations," and gives industry competitors and family relationships as examples. In practice that covers:

• Current employees, full-time or part-time
• Former employees
• Owners, partners, managers and their family members
• Contractors, consultants and agencies working for the business
• Competitors reviewing a rival

Google's rule has no disclosure exception. A review that opens with "Full disclosure, I work here" is still based on employment, so it still falls under the conflict-of-interest category. The same policy also bars businesses from offering money, discounts or free goods in exchange for reviews.

Other platforms take the same line

Trustpilot's Guidelines for reviewers say you are not eligible to review a business where you have a special relationship, for example if you are "the owner of the business, someone in their immediate family, are working with or for the business, are a shareholder in the business, or are a competitor."

Most consumer review platforms apply a similar principle, but the wording differs. Before you send any guidance to staff, check the current content guidelines of each site where you have a profile, such as Yelp, Tripadvisor or Facebook.

One exception in spirit: sites built for employer reviews, such as Glassdoor, exist precisely so that employees can rate their workplace. That is a separate topic, covered in our guide to responding to negative Glassdoor reviews as an employer.

What the FTC rule adds in the US

The FTC's Trade Regulation Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 CFR Part 465) took effect on October 21, 2024, according to the FTC's Questions and Answers page. The FTC also notes the rule authorizes courts to impose civil penalties for knowing violations. Section 465.5 deals with insider reviews. For a wider overview, see our article on the FTC rule on fake reviews.

Officers and managers

Under 16 CFR § 465.5, it is an unfair or deceptive practice for an officer or manager to write a consumer review about the business, or a product or service it sells, without a clear and conspicuous disclosure of their material relationship. The definitions in § 465.1 say "officer" includes owners, executives and managing members, and a "manager" is an employee who supervises other employees or agents.

Asking staff or relatives for reviews

The rule also covers officers or managers who solicit or demand reviews from their immediate relatives (defined as a spouse, parent, child or sibling), from employees or agents, or who ask employees to get reviews from their own relatives. This becomes a violation when the resulting review lacks a disclosure and the officer or manager encouraged the reviewer not to disclose, did not instruct reviewers to disclose clearly and conspicuously, or knew or should have known the review appeared without disclosure and failed to take remedial steps.

The generalized solicitation exception

These solicitation provisions do not apply to "generalized solicitations to purchasers" to post reviews about their experiences. The FTC's Q&A gives the example of a company that asks all customers for reviews: if an employee who is also a customer posts an undisclosed review after seeing that general request, the company did not violate this section.

The FTC also says it does not expect an officer or manager "to scour every review of the business for possible insider reviews." It flags red flags that should prompt action, such as a reviewer with the same last name as an employee, or an employee sending a manager a link to the review they posted.

Why disclosure under the FTC rule is not enough for Google

This is where businesses get caught out. The FTC rule focuses on disclosure: an insider review with a clear disclosure is not a violation of § 465.5. Google's policy focuses on eligibility: a review based on employment is a conflict of interest, disclosed or not.

The practical takeaway: on Google, Trustpilot and similar sites, the safe rule for staff is simply not to review their employer at all. This article is general information, not legal advice. If you have questions about how the FTC rule applies to your business, consult a qualified lawyer in your jurisdiction.

A safe internal policy in five steps

A one-page policy prevents most problems. Here is a sequence that works for small and multi-location businesses alike.

1. Write the rule down. Staff, managers, owners and their immediate family should not post reviews of the business, its products or its locations on consumer review sites. Include contractors and agencies.
2. Ban internal review targets that rely on staff accounts. No contests, quotas or bonuses tied to reviews posted by employees or their relatives.
3. Point review requests only at real customers. Send the same neutral request to every customer, without filtering for happy ones and without incentives. Our guide to getting more Google reviews the policy-safe way covers the process, and our article on review gating explains why filtering requests is risky.
4. Give staff a positive alternative. Employees who want to help can mention the review link to customers they served, share the company's posts on their own social accounts with a clear note that they work there, or rate the workplace on employer review sites.
5. Brief new hires and repeat it yearly. Add the rule to onboarding and to your social media or communications policy, and record that staff received it.

Before adopting rules about what employees may say publicly about their employer in general, have a lawyer review the wording. This policy should be limited to posting consumer reviews of your own business.

Example (illustrative): "Please don't post reviews of [Business Name] or any of our locations on Google, Yelp, Trustpilot or similar sites, and please don't ask friends or family to do so. Review platforms treat reviews from staff as a conflict of interest, and US law requires disclosures we can't control. If a customer asks how to leave feedback, you're welcome to share our review link. Questions? Contact [manager's email]."

What to do if staff have already posted reviews

Finding a few staff reviews on your profile is common, especially from enthusiastic new hires. Handle it calmly.

1. Make a list. Note each review you know or reasonably believe was posted by an employee, owner, manager or relative, with date and reviewer name. Do not guess based on star ratings alone.
2. Ask the author to delete it. Reviewers can remove their own reviews; Google explains how on its add, edit, or delete Google Maps reviews help page. Make the request in writing, keep it friendly, and do not pressure or discipline anyone for a review posted before the policy existed.
3. Record what you did. Keep a short note of the request and outcome. The FTC rule refers to failing to take remedial steps when an undisclosed insider review is known, so a record of your response is useful.
4. Fix the cause. If a manager asked staff to post reviews, stop that practice and roll out the written policy above.
5. Report only if the author cannot be reached. If a former employee posted a review you can show is based on their employment and they will not or cannot remove it, you can report it as a conflict of interest. Google's help page on reporting inappropriate reviews describes the Report option and the Reviews Management Tool. Google decides whether a review violates policy, and disagreement alone is not a reason for removal.

Example (illustrative): "Hi [Name], thanks for supporting the team. Google's rules don't allow reviews from people who work for the business, even with a disclosure, so could you please delete the review you posted on [date]? Here is how: [link to Google help page]. No problem at all, we just want to stay within the rules."

Negative reviews from current or former employees

Conflict of interest cuts both ways. A one-star review from a former employee about pay or a manager may describe the workplace, not a customer experience. Google's policy names former employment as a conflict of interest, so such a review can be reported under that category.

Report it once, accurately, with only the facts you can support. Do not contact the person with threats or post their employment details in a public reply. If you respond publicly, keep it short and neutral. Our guide to what violates Google's review policy explains how to tell a reportable review from one that must stay. If a specific review is in front of you, the free review removal check can help you judge whether a policy category plausibly applies.