Gowork Transparency Report
We have created a Transparency Report to help our users better understand how we provide an online database of substantive company reviews and how they can use Gowork as a marketing tool.
The highlights found in the report are:
- How we ensure the quality of content on the website.
- What types of reviews we have.
- How to use Gowork to build a positive image of your company.
We are NEUTRAL towards companies and users using our platform.
What does this mean?
We do not take sides and treat everyone equally. Both users who express their opinion and leave feedback, and companies who want to build their image online.
That is why
WE DO NOT REMOVE REVIEWS ON REQUEST OR FOR A FEE
but every submission of inappropriate content is prioritised by our Admin Team, as one of Gowork's main goals is to be a database of substantive information. If reviews do not comply with our Terms and Conditions they are subject to removal or moderation.
Freemium model
We operate on a so-called freemium business model. The main functionalities are available to users for free and without the need to log in:
- Adding reviews
- Responding to other users' comments/participating in discussions
- Using the information contained in the threads
- Thread subscription
- Adding a new company thread
- Conducting company communication via thread
Premium functionalities are complementary services for companies that would like to stand out from the competition and take more official care of their PR through Gowork. We can highlight, for example, the possibility to add news about your company, thread management, improved graphic design (more about our offer*).
Tackling non-substantive content and ensuring quality — how we do it:
1. Team
Each national market has a separate team of Administrators. They are the ones who verify the submitted content on a daily basis and guard the good name of the companies, as well as ensuring that users' freedom of expression is not restricted. It is a difficult task, but without them it would not be possible to create a place that is a quality knowledge base about companies for millions of users.
However, it is not only submitted content that passes under the watchful eye of our team. We apply the a posteriori principle, but we want to take care of the quality of our forum as much as possible, which is why random content is analysed for GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) violations even before it appears on the website.
2. Technology
We use automation to filter out content that does not meet our standards. In particular, technology allows us to censor vulgarity and hate speech. We detect SPAM and know which user is leaving it, even if they use variable nicknames.
3. Community - Gowork users
Anyone using Gowork can become an additional filter for non-substantive, non-compliant content through the easy reporting facilities we offer.
We are very simple to use. If you see content that doesn't comply with our Terms and Conditions, breaches GDPR or generally violates netiquette rules, or is short, non-substantive and looks like spam, you can easily report it and our Administration team will manually review the content.
Here are two ways to do this:
- the Contact tab, where you will find the Complaints Form*.
- writing an email to [email protected]
- Each review on a profile has a flag icon which, when clicked on, allows the reporting form to be sent
The *Complaints Form suggests specific information to be filled in so that content verification goes smoothly.
How we verify the veracity of the content:
Like most Internet forums, we allow discussion groups to form around a given topic (in this case, a company) and allow dialogue, anonymity and leaving your point of view. We assume that our users are motivated by a sincere intention to spread information, exchange views or inform themselves.
The companies featured on Gowork, as well as the basic information about them, come from the official government database Companies House. If you are a business owner and the information we have about your company is incorrect or out of date, please contact us via the Contact us page.
This is publicly available data that we use for information purposes only, so a request to delete a company thread can only be justified in specific cases.
Anyone, without having to log in, can set up a new company thread, but it undergoes manual verification in order to appear on the site.
Employers have the option to set up official accounts on Gowork (more about our business model*). Their responses are then added with their company name and logo.
The green checkmark next to the company name informs users that the company has an official profile.
The "Engaged Employer" badge — threads marked with this badge are those in which employers or company representatives officially contribute. Only official company profiles can obtain it.
If you choose to respond on behalf of your company without access to an official account, you can always do so by adding your company's name in your nickname or otherwise clearly communicating that you are a representative of the company. However, there is a danger that a user will also start doing this. To avoid this, we suggest using the official account management facility (more on the offer*)
Each user has the opportunity to leave ONLY ONE review per month with a star rating on the thread of a particular company. In this way, the average rating can only be influenced once a month. Without a star rating any user can add an unlimited amount of comments and answers (if it is not SPAM).
If we see a sudden influx of positive content with the aim of improving the image and hiding negative opinions, or an influx of negative content with the aim of damaging the image, we block the IPs of such users and delete the content (see > quality care*).
In any case it is not possible to contact the author of the review.
When is a review subject to deletion and when to moderation?
We operate under very clear rules in this regard. After verification by Our Team (see taking care of quality*), only comments that do not meet our standards are subject to removal, which you can read more about here: Terms and Conditions.
Your or any other user's content may be removed if it:
- breaks the law or promotes violence
- is spam
- pretends to be someone else or an institution/ a company
- has links to competitors or viruses/malware
- suggests that Gowork endorses some company
- contains mainly personal data or is aimed at phishing such information
Once a comment has been added, the user cannot delete it himself/herself in any way. This is only possible after submitting a comment via Complaints Form.
Negative opinions that meet our standards of expression and are substantive won’t be deleted.
Content is moderated by deleting inappropriate content (or parts of it) and replacing it with the text — (moderated by an administrator/admin). Moderation is ONLY APPLICABLE FOR SUBSTANTIVE POSTS WHICH CONTAIN PERSONAL DATA, VULGAR WORDS OR HATE SPEECH (see care for quality*). The moderation of comments aims to take care of the quality of the content and to leave only content that is able to carry valuable information for users.
Types of reviews
Below we explain what types of comments and content you will find on the threads available on the Gowork platform.
Main reviews
If a review has stars - this means that the user has added both an opinion and a star rating for the company (can only be added 1 time).
Users’ responses
If an opinion has no stars, it is a response to another opinion that has already been added, or it is another comment by the user, after the first opinion with a star rating has been added. We classify users' responses to the main reviews as neutral.
Surveys
Using the survey available on each thread, users evaluate given aspects of the company in an easy and schematic way. We display the results from the surveys in a dedicated tab, which appears when the first survey is completed by any user
Official company responses (more about our business model*)
Comments with a flame icon - the most popular opinion on the thread judged by usability
News with photo. These can only be added by employers who have purchased the premium option (read more*). It is not possible (either for free or in the paid option) to add ordinary reviews with photos attached.
Comments with a question mark icon - these are posts added by Gowork based on frequent user questions and job postings to encourage users to share their experience with others. We classify them as neutral.
Featured review - a review pinned by employer with premium profile to top of thread.
Featured news - news added and pinned by employer with premium profile to top of thread.
When leaving a comment (as long as it is not the company's official account), the user has the option of giving themselves any nickname as long as it does not infringe the rules.
5 star policy
A star rating for the company is available on each thread. The average rating is calculated from the number of clicks and the awarded rating from 1 to 5 stars.
Each user can only add one star rating including the addition of a comment! It is not possible to award only a number of stars.
As of 1 January 2023, we have made changes. If the number of stars in your profile description does not match the number of stars on the thread, write to us!
If a user adds a star rating and a non-substantive comment just for the sake of changing the star rating, after deleting such a comment, the added star rating is also deleted and does not count towards the average. Such a user will no longer be able to add a comment with a star rating again on this particular thread, but may still contribute to discussions and reply.
When adding a review, it is possible to select its status to make it easier for other users to filter the content. You can choose between positive, neutral and negative status.
1-2 stars - negative opinion
3 stars - neutral opinion
4-5 stars - positive opinion
If the user does not select a status, the opinion is recorded as neutral.
Rankings
Gowork is not only a forum, but above all a PR tool. Companies on our platform automatically participate in the monthly ranking of the companies with the highest ratings if they meet the following requirements:
- minimum of 3 assessments in a given month
- minimum average of recent* ratings - 3.5 stars
*calculated on the basis of last month's grades only. - the company's overall rating > 3.5 stars (effective from May 2024)
The ranking gives you a free opportunity to be highlighted on our homepage.
But we also have a list of the companies with the lowest ratings. The rating rules are very similar:
- minimum of 3 grades in a given month
- average of recent* ratings less than 2.5 stars
*calculated on the basis of last month's grades only. - the company's overall rating < 4 stars (effective from May 2024)
Information on participation in the list stays on the company thread.
If a company wins a badge more than once it updates on the profile to the most recent one.
Thread subscriptions
Each user can, by sharing their email address, subscribe to as many threads as they wish. Subscribing to a thread involves receiving an email notification every time there is a new comment on the thread. Unsubscribing is very simple and can be done in any email received.
