Glassdoor announced this week that it has acquired Fishbowl - an app that provides its users with an anonymous option to also post candid employee feedback, join chat groups and search for jobs. This acquisition will bring an additional 1 million users to Glassdoor's growing 55 million user platform, and more importantly, adds a social component to Glassdoor's company review function.

Fishbowl is basically a professional social networking app, but with the key difference that it allows user anonymity just as Glassdoor does. According to Glassdoor CEO Christian Sutherland-Wong, that anonymity feature will help to boost the transparency - and ideally the credibility - of the information users contribute to the platform.

“Fishbowl is going to help Glassdoor power the future of workplace transparency,” said Sutherland-Wong, adding that the acquisition will ideally lead to users sharing more candid and detailed information. Glassdoor will be integrating Fishbowl's functions into its platform, retaining the brand name, and allowing existing Glassdoor users to access existing Fishbowl conversations. “We expect in the future that jobseekers will use Glassdoor reviews, and also look to existing professionals in their fields to get answers from each other.”

Matt Sunbulli, CEO of Fishbowl, said: “More than ever, professionals are seeking communities to have valuable career conversations and get more information from people beyond those they already know. No one brings transparency to the workplace better than Glassdoor. And with Fishbowl’s platform for real-time professional conversations the opportunity together is incredibly powerful."

The Fishbowl team, about 800 strong, will join Glassdoor, although the companies have not provided details about how the teams will integrate other than stating they will retain a flexible working model.