ABSTRACT
The majority of trust and safety operations are carried out by people who work for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies, yet BPOs are often omitted from conversations about industry challenges and best practices. This chapter aims to place BPOs at the center of discourse about trust and safety including issues related to the mental health of frontline trust and safety workers, identification of emerging trends, helping workers create long-term careers in trust and safety, and innovation in the field. In addition, BPOs are essential contributors to research in the field of Trust and Safety. Scholars interested in the evolution and advancement of trust and safety best practices can avail of BPOs to access the experiences of multilingual populations that allow for large-scale research across countries, types of work, and cultures. While outsourcing trust and safety work has been met with criticism, this chapter seeks to provide our “insider” perspective to highlight the value and contributions BPOs make in such an important field. Perspectives presented here are limited in scope due to non-disclosure constraints between and among BPOs, limited academic research available, and the reluctance of industry stakeholders to go public. As a result, we offer a view from within the BPO industry that emphasizes a collaborative, innovative, and supportive commitment to advancing industry best practices.
