Facebook moderators located in India were pressured by their employer, third-party contracting firm Genpact, to return to the office despite safety concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report from nonprofit publication Rest of World.
Genpact, one of many firms Facebook outsources moderation to around the world, employs roughly 1,600 moderators in India, where employees analyze offensive and disturbing content posted in large volumes to Facebook’s platforms for potential rule violations. The company was pressuring employees to return to its offices in Hyderabad as early as July, Rest of World reports, with Genpact claiming key parts of its moderation services had to be performed in the office due to privacy issues and other technical hurdles.
Genpact claims any in-office work was done so voluntarily. “To make this manageable, safe, and clear, employees need to sign a weekly form that asks them to voluntarily agree to this,” a Genpact spokesperson told Rest of World. But according to interviews with employees, Genpact management allegedly instructed some employees that their jobs may be at risk if they chose not to perform in-office duties.
Rest of World also reports that India’s IT industry was deemed essential in the earliest days of coronavirus-related lockdowns throughout the country. This meant many of the firms providing outsourced labor for US technology companies were able to circumvent restrictions on office work to keep employees coming in.
Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Facebook employs more than 15,000 content moderators all around the globe, a vast majority of which are contractors without access to many of the same benefits as corporate employees. Those contractors are also subjected to work conditions involving the viewing of child exploitation, violence, terrorism videos, and other material that may cause post-traumatic stress disorder and related mental health issues.
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