Moderation Protocol – Allround The Agency Job Board

1. Purpose and guiding principles

1.1 The purpose of moderation is to keep the Job Board safe, professional and reliable for all participants (employers/clients and freelancers/candidates).

1.2 We apply the following principles when moderating:

• Safety and respect for all participants are paramount.
• Consistency: similar situations should, as far as possible, result in similar measures.
• Transparency: we communicate clearly and respectfully about any action taken, insofar as privacy and security considerations permit.

2. Moderators’ duties

2.1 Moderators (or designated team members) are responsible for:

• reviewing new job vacancies, profiles and messages at fixed intervals;
• handling and assessing reports in accordance with the reporting procedure;
• hiding, editing or removing content where necessary;
• addressing, warning or (temporarily) blocking participants in the event of breaches;
• escalating complex or legally sensitive issues to a responsible person within Allround The Agency.

2.2 Moderators carry out their duties impartially and diligently. They are not a party to any negotiations or contracts between participants.

3. Categories of breaches and examples of measures

For the purposes of assessment, we use three main categories: minor, moderate and serious. This is a guide; each case may require a more nuanced approach.

3.1 Category 1 – Minor breaches

Examples:

• Incomplete or unclear information in a job advertisement or profile.
• Posting in the wrong category (e.g. incorrect region or job cluster).
• A one-off, minor breach of promotional rules (e.g. a tone that is just slightly too commercial).

Possible measures:

• A friendly private message explaining the issue and requesting that the content be amended.
• If necessary, moving the content to an appropriate category ourselves.
• No further sanctions provided this remains a one-off breach.

3.2 Category 2 – Moderate breaches

Examples:

• Repeated self-promotion or advertising despite previous explanations.
• Unfriendly or derogatory tone towards other participants.
• Suggesting discriminatory criteria without being explicit.
• Misleading elements in a job advertisement or profile, but still correctable.

Possible actions:

• Temporarily hiding or removing the content in question.
• Clear warning via email or private message, referring to the job board’s terms and conditions and code of conduct.
• Recording of the breach in an internal log (date, user, nature, action taken).

3.3 Category 3 – Serious breaches

Examples:

• Clearly discriminatory or hateful job adverts or posts.
• Threatening, aggressive or intimidating comments.
• Clear indications of fraud (e.g. ‘job vacancies’ that are in fact scams).
• Deliberate and serious infringement of copyright or privacy rights (e.g. publishing confidential data or images without permission).

Possible actions:

• Immediate hiding or removal of the content.
• Temporary or permanent suspension of the user from the job board.
• Escalation to a responsible person within Allround The Agency, and, if necessary, consideration of further steps (for example, informing the relevant authorities).

4. Moderation procedure

4.1 Report or notification

Moderation may commence:

• on the basis of a report from a participant in accordance with the reporting procedure;
• on the basis of moderators’ own observations.

4.2 Assessment

The moderator:

• reviews the content of the relevant job vacancy, profile or message;
• assesses this against the Job Board Terms and Conditions, the employer and freelancer policies, the reporting procedure and relevant laws and regulations;
• determines which category of breach (minor/moderate/serious) is most applicable.

On this basis, an appropriate measure is selected (as described in section 3). If the situation gives rise to doubt, consultation will first take place with a colleague or the person in charge.

4.3 Decision and action

On this basis, an appropriate measure is selected (as described in paragraph 3). If the situation gives rise to doubt, consultation must first take place with a colleague or the person in charge.

4.4 Communication with the participant

We communicate, where appropriate and possible:

Communication is conducted respectfully and professionally, preferably via email or a clear message on the platform.

5. Logging and evaluation

5.1 Moderation actions are recorded in an internal log, including at least:

• date and time;
• participant(s) involved;
• brief description of the situation/breach;
• action(s) taken;
• name of the moderator.
• what action was taken;
• why;
• what we expect from the participant to prevent a recurrence.

5.2 We periodically (for example, once a quarter) evaluate our moderation practices: where necessary, the moderation protocol, the employer and freelancer policies and/or the Jobboard Terms and Conditions are amended.

6. Relationship with other Jobboard documents

6.1 This moderation protocol forms part of:

• the Jobboard Terms and Conditions;
• the Employer and Freelancer Policy;
• the Reporting Procedure;
• the Ranking Policy;
• the Privacy Statement.

6.2 Together, these documents form the framework for the safe, fair and professional use of the Job Board within our online environment.