After criticism over moderator treatment, Facebook raises wages and boosts support for contractors

Facebook has been repeatedly (and rightly) hammered for its treatment of the content moderators who ensure the site doesn’t end up becoming a river of images, videos and articles embodying the worst of humanity.

Those workers, and the hundreds (if not thousands) of other contractors Facebook employs to cook food, provide security and provide transportation for the social media giant’s highly compensated staff, are getting a little salary boost and a commitment to better care for the toll these jobs can take on some workers.

“Today we’re committing to pay everyone who does contract work at Facebook in the US a wage that’s more reflective of local costs of living,” the company said in a statement. “And for those who review content on our site to make sure it follows our community standards, we’re going even further. We’re going to provide them a higher base wage, additional benefits, and more supportive programs given the nature of their jobs.”

Contractors in the U.S. were being paid a $15 minimum wage, received 15 paid days off for holidays, sick time and vacation; and received a $4,000 new child benefit for parents that don’t receive paid leave. Since 2016, Facebook also required employees assigned to the company to be provided with comprehensive healthcare.

Now, it’s boosting those wages in San Francisco, Washington, New York and the San Francisco Bay Area to a $20 minimum wage, and $18 in Seattle.

“After reviewing a number of factors including third-party guidelines, we’re committing to a higher standard that better reflects local costs of living,” the company said. “We’ll be implementing these changes by mid-next year and we’re working to develop similar standards for other countries.”

Those raises apply to contractors that don’t work on content moderation. For contractors involved in moderation, the company committed to a $22 per hour minimum wage in the Bay Area, New York and Washington; $20 per-hour in Seattle; and $18 per hour in other metro areas outside the U.S.

Facebook also said it will institute a similar program for international standards going forward. That’s important, as a bulk of the company’s content moderation work is actually done overseas, in places like the Philippines.

Content moderators will also have access to “ongoing well-being and resiliency training.” Facebook also said it was adding preferences to let reviewers customize how they want to view content — including an option to blur graphic images by default before reviewing them. Facebook will also provide around-the-clock on-site counseling, and will survey moderators at partner sites about what reviewers actually need.

Last month, the company said it convened its first vendor partner summit at its Menlo Park, Calif. offices and is now working to standardize contracts with its global vendors. To ensure that vendors are meeting their commitments, the company is going to hold unannounced onsite checks and a biannual audit and compliance program for content review teams.