Key takeaways
- Glassdoor screens every review before publication using technology and human moderators.
- Glassdoor does not publish a fixed approval time; it says a review missing after a few days was likely not approved.
- Check status under Profile, then Contributions, on the account used to post.
- A review removed within 30 days of posting may be revised and resubmitted; after that, a new review is needed.
- Employers cannot see pending reviews and cannot speed up or block them.
What happens after you submit a Glassdoor review
Glassdoor reviews do not go live instantly. According to Glassdoor's policy on when content is removed, its Trust and Safety team assesses reviews before they appear on the site. The checks combine automated screening and human moderation, including IP analysis, as described on its page on authentic reviews.
The screening looks for the same things that cause removals later: fake or second-hand accounts, a second review of the same company within a year, jobs more than five years old, confidential information, abusive language and named individuals below senior leadership. A review that passes appears on the company profile. A review that fails is not published.
How long does a Glassdoor review stay pending?
Glassdoor does not publish a standard turnaround. Its own guidance is that if a review has not appeared after a few days, it most likely was not approved. Most reviews that pass screening appear well within that window; a review that is still missing after several days usually needs attention rather than more waiting.
Delays are more likely when a review triggers a manual check. Long reviews with names, figures or strong allegations, accounts created very recently, and reviews submitted from networks associated with other accounts can all take longer to clear.
How to check a review's status
The status of every contribution is visible from the account that posted it.
- Sign in to the Glassdoor account you used to post the review.
- Open the profile menu and choose Contributions.
- Select the contribution type, such as company reviews.
- Read the Review Status next to the review.
A pending status means moderation is not finished. A "Removed" status means Glassdoor found a guideline violation, as explained in our article on why Glassdoor removes reviews. If the review does not appear in the list at all, it may not have been submitted successfully, or it may have been posted from a different account.
Why a Glassdoor review is not showing
When a review does not show on the company profile, the cause is usually one of a small set of problems. The list below covers the most common, and what to do about each.
| Cause | What it looks like | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Still in moderation | Status shows pending | Wait a few days, then recheck |
| Not approved | Status shows removed, or missing after several days | Rewrite to remove the rule-breaking detail and resubmit if within 30 days |
| Duplicate within a year | You reviewed the same company in the last 12 months | Edit your existing review instead of posting a new one |
| Job too old | The role ended more than five years ago | New reviews must cover the last five years |
| Wrong company profile | Review posted to a similarly named company or a former brand | Check the profile the review is attached to |
| Filters on the reviews page | Review is live but hidden by a location, job or rating filter | Clear the filters and sort by most recent |
| Account issue | New or unverified account, or more than one account | Complete account validation and use one account |
Glassdoor review approved but not showing
A review that shows as approved in Contributions but cannot be found on the company page is most often hidden by the page view rather than missing. Company review pages can be filtered and sorted, so clearing filters and sorting by most recent is the first step.
The second check is the company itself. Large employers can have several profiles, such as a parent company, regional entities or a former brand after an acquisition, and the review may be attached to one of them. If neither explains it, the review may have been removed after a flag; Glassdoor can remove any contribution at any time, so a review that was live can still come down later.
How to fix a review that was not approved
Glassdoor says that a review removed within 30 days of posting may be revised and resubmitted, while older removals need a brand-new review. A resubmission works only if it removes the detail that likely broke the rules.
- Remove names of anyone below senior leadership, and any personal details.
- Remove client names, financial figures and other confidential information.
- Replace abusive language with a plain description of what happened.
- Make sure the role ended within the last five years and that you have not reviewed the company in the past 12 months.
- Post from a personal device on a personal network, which Glassdoor recommends.
The opinion can stay. Glassdoor does not reject reviews for being negative, so softening the criticism is unnecessary; removing the specific breach is what matters.
Mistakes that keep a review stuck
The most common mistake is posting the same review again and again. Each new copy can look like a duplicate or a second account to Glassdoor's fraud checks, and repeated submissions from one device can make every version harder to approve. One careful revision is better than several quick ones.
The second mistake is changing the wrong part. Reviewers often soften the tone and leave the problem in place, such as a manager's name or a figure from an internal report. Moderation is about specific rule breaks, so the revision has to remove the specific detail.
The third is writing from a work laptop or office network. Glassdoor asks reviewers to use personal devices, and company equipment can both delay approval and raise privacy concerns for the reviewer.
The fourth is reviewing the wrong employer. Contractors and agency staff sometimes review the client company they were placed with rather than the agency that employed them, or pick a similarly named business from the search list. A review attached to the wrong profile can be removed even if every word is accurate. Checking the company name, logo and location on the profile before writing avoids the problem entirely.
What employers should know about pending reviews
Employers cannot see reviews that are still in moderation and cannot speed them up, slow them down or block them. The first point at which an employer can act is after a review is published, by responding publicly or flagging it if it breaks the rules.
The same moderation queue sets the pace for employer flags. Removal timelines depend on Glassdoor's workload, which is why any timeframe for a flagged review is an estimate rather than a deadline. Our guide to Glassdoor's review guidelines explains how flags are judged, and our Glassdoor review removal service page sets out typical timelines for qualified cases.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my Glassdoor review pending?
A Glassdoor review shows as pending while it is still being moderated. Glassdoor screens every review before publication with automated checks and human moderators, looking for fake accounts, duplicates, confidential information, abusive language and named junior staff. Reviews that trigger a manual check, such as long reviews with names or allegations, can take longer to clear.
How long does a Glassdoor review take to be approved?
Glassdoor does not publish a fixed approval time. Its guidance is that if a review has not appeared after a few days, it most likely was not approved. Reviewers can check the status under Profile, then Contributions. A review still missing after several days usually needs to be rewritten and resubmitted rather than waited on.
Why is my Glassdoor review not showing on the company page?
The review may still be in moderation, may not have been approved, may be attached to a different company profile such as a parent or former brand, or may be hidden by filters on the reviews page. Checking the status under Contributions, clearing filters and sorting by most recent usually identifies which of these applies.
Can I resubmit a Glassdoor review that was not approved?
Glassdoor says that if a review was removed within 30 days of posting, the author may be able to revise and resubmit it. After 30 days, a new review is needed. The revised review should remove the detail that broke the rules, such as a colleague's name or confidential figures, while keeping the honest opinion.
Can an employer stop my Glassdoor review from being posted?
No. Employers cannot see reviews that are still in moderation and cannot block or delay them. Once a review is published, an employer can respond publicly or flag it, but only Glassdoor decides whether a flagged review breaks the rules, and Glassdoor declines evidence from parties with a vested interest in removal.
Why did my Glassdoor review disappear after it was posted?
A review that was live and then disappeared was most likely removed after a flag, because Glassdoor can remove any contribution at any time if it breaks the Community Guidelines. The status under Contributions will show "Removed". If the removal happened within 30 days of posting, the review may be revised and resubmitted.