How to get the most from your frontline team

I'm Alice Hunsberger. Trust & Safety Insider is my weekly rundown on the topics, industry trends and workplace strategies that trust and safety professionals need to know about to do their job.

This newsletter is shorter than usual as I was traveling last week and am catching up on everything that I missed. Predictably, I'm behind on my reading, so no links list this week, but check out the "Link Dump" section of my website for an epic archive of articles.

Thanks to everyone who offered long-haul flight suggestions. I way overpacked but ended up using almost everything. Lessons learned included:

• Pack more hard candy.
• Don't bring sandals you haven't broken in yet (related: pack bandaids).
• Resist the airport bookstores (because you'll just have to carry around that new hardback from one of your favourite authors and won't end up reading it anyway, because your Kindle is way more convenient on flights).
• Strategically plan your connecting flights. I was thrilled with my picks: Denver (vegan donuts), San Francisco (banh mi), Tokyo (Godzilla and Pokemon merch for my kid), and Newark (never thought I'd say this, but it's is a much nicer airport than JFK these days).

Also: my family got a puppy! She wakes up multiple times at night and is contributing to my jetlag and a general feeling of not knowing what time or day it is! Good thing she’s cute! Obligatory pic at the end of today's edition.

Special request this week: get in touch with your favourite T&S resources. More info below... Here we go! — Alice

Today's edition of T&S Insider is in partnership with Checkstep, the all-in-one Trust & Safety Platform

Our product team has been hard at work this fall, developing a comprehensive workflow for DSA compliance, made possible by our direct integration with the EU Transparency Database. In our latest article, we offer a brief look at how Shein is leveraging Checkstep to stay ahead of regulatory changes.

If you're looking to ensure your organisation remains compliant with evolving regulations, take a moment to read the article and feel free to reach out for insights on building an effective DSA compliance strategy.

Six ways to maximise your frontline team (no, not just efficiency)

Last week, I visited some PartnerHero moderators in the Philippines and had roundtable discussions to ask how things were going. I was completely blown away; the teams came SO prepared with anecdotes and ideas. Frontline teams are often seen as entry-level or low skilled, but that's a massive pre-conception and really doesn't have to be that way.

With that in mind, I thought I'd share six ways to build a frontline team that will do their best for you. This is based on what I've heard directly from moderators at PartnerHero and elsewhere as well as throughout my years (and mistakes!) of managing T&S operations. So, in no particular order:

Ensure humans do the right work

Not everything needs a person. Much can (and should) be automated. Humans are best when they can think independently and make reasoned decisions. They take pride in their work, and want to be given the opportunity to use their brains!

Trust your team

Moderating is hard and requires people who are curious, resilient, confident, and caring. Good moderators have a lot to offer, and they should be trusted and valued as individuals, not just parts of a system. Micromanaging creates a culture with misaligned incentives— the best folks (who you want on your team) will leave if the only thing they're judged on is productivity. Work from home is life-changing for people (traffic in Manila is terrible!) as is trusting them to do the right thing.

Build enough off-queue time

Folks had good ideas for me last week because they had time to think. Moderation teams should dedicate time to training, calibration, wellness, research, and filing bug reports and product suggestions (because moderation software always seems to need help). I've found that ~20% off-queue time (excluding lunch and breaks) works well. You'll find that folks who have off-queue time can focus better when they're on-queue, and often have productivity and efficiency ideas that make up the difference.

Have low team lead ratios

Team leads set the culture of the team, check in to make sure everyone is doing okay, and understand what's happening day-to-day. They shouldn't be underestimated! I like a 1:10 team lead to moderator ratio, which allows time for performance management, process improvement, and documentation.

Look at Quality Assurance (QA) holistically and collaboratively

A wrong moderation decision can be due to lack of training, bad hiring, confusing policies, or new trends not captured in moderation playbooks. If a culture of trust is built, QA is an exercise in collaboration between policy, operations, and leadership. It shouldn’t just catch “bad performance.”

Create flexible wellness solutions

Moderators who feel taken care of will be more effective in their work. Specific programming for wellness is great, but everyone’s mental health needs differ. Flexibility needs to be baked in, such as on-demand services and paid “me time” for resetting after work. Company values can be a main driver of mental wellbeing if the entire leadership team models those values authentically.

PS... Meet Cassie!