Site Management Talking to Forum Staff Who Aren't Cutting It

[Gamrpro]

Addressing a forum staff member who isn't meeting expectations is a delicate but necessary part of managing an online community. It's important to approach the situation with empathy and clarity, ensuring the conversation is constructive and supportive. The goal is to help the staff member understand where they're falling short, provide clear guidance on expectations, and offer support to help them improve their performance. Effective communication in these instances helps maintain a positive atmosphere and ensures the community operates smoothly.

1. How do you start this kind of talk? I want to keep it positive but also need to make it clear that some things have to change.
2. What do you usually focus on during the chat? Is it better to just talk about what’s going wrong, or should I balance it out with what they’re doing right?
3. Any tips on how to wrap up these conversations? I want to leave them feeling motivated, not discouraged.

I’m aiming to turn this into a constructive experience so they feel supported and know I’m rooting for them, but also get that we need to see some improvements. Just trying to keep the team spirit up while making sure we all meet our community standards.

 

[Cory]

As a staff member on my forum, I would assess the situation by asking them questions regarding their state. I would be kind to them, but make it clear that we need to see what they're lacking to be eligible staff members. I would allow them a period to improve and if they seem to lack what I recommend they do as a staff member of my forum, I may have to demote them. If they don't show anger/resentment towards me, I would let them know they're welcome back as a staff member as long as they improve on the community focus or requirements.

 

[Ravenfreak]

I've had to demote staff before in the past. What I did first was send the staff member a private message about their inactivity. I gave them some time to log back in, after all life gets in the way sometimes and I completely understand if someone doesn't have as much time to get online. Since they never logged in, I sent another private message stating that I was demoting them, and went ahead and moved them to the member group. They never logged back in, so I didn't have to worry about them begging for their position back thankfully.

 

[MrDawn]

My biggest issue that I've come across with most staff members I've worked with is that a lot of them join and then disappear for weeks at a time. It's personally becoming a pet peeve of mine.

 

[Nomad]

I will not name the forum but once I was demoted on a forum. I was asked to become more active but since I was not being paid, I said I cannot give more time than I was already giving to the site. If you are not paying your staff, I don't think you have the rights to be demanding.

 

[ClicketyKat]

I will not name the forum but once I was demoted on a forum. I was asked to become more active but since I was not being paid, I said I cannot give more time than I was already giving to the site. If you are not paying your staff, I don't think you have the rights to be demanding.

If your original agreement when hired included activity on the site, then yeah, you CAN demand more from non-paid staff. It really only takes 15 minutes a day on a site to make a difference.

 

[Nomad]

If your original agreement when hired included activity on the site, then yeah, you CAN demand more from non-paid staff. It really only takes 15 minutes a day on a site to make a difference.

If you are not receiving any perks, do you think agreement actually matters. How can a site owner demand from the staff to become very active when the staff is not getting any perks. I understand staff position can be voluntary but if your staff are volunteer, you need to acknowledge what ever they are doing and never expect more.

 

[Cory]

As I see it, you're either a contributing staff member or a noncontributing staff member who needs to be demoted. Even if the position is voluntary, they originally agreed to be a staff member to help where needed and contribute to the board's cause. I think having inactive staff members or staff members who barely do anything is a bad representation of your board. Volunteers who do public work such as picking up litter don't go and goof off, they pick up litter. Volunteering to work on a board as a staff member means there will be some requirements if you want to retain a staff position, but it will be harder to enforce without incentives, which is why you have to pick and choose wisely who will and will not contribute to the board.

 

[Darth Cognus]

If you are not receiving any perks, do you think agreement actually matters. How can a site owner demand from the staff to become very active when the staff is not getting any perks. I understand staff position can be voluntary but if your staff are volunteer, you need to acknowledge what ever they are doing and never expect more.

There is a bar to be set for communities to operate as desired. If the bar is an entirely voluntary/discretionary basis you can keep it simple and thank people for their time to date if they are not cutting it to the bar needed, and keep the door open for when they feel they can meet it in the future. Either way I don't think it's unreasonable to set that even if the community is an entirely voluntary basis without tangible perks.

It doesn't mean setting that expectation should be particularly demanding or impolite either when the time comes. The only time it should be stern in my view is when something is explicitly promised and it is not delivered. Then if you're purely volunteering, without perks etc, you ought to keep a promise you have given and can't expect powdered gloves if you fail to do so or communicate. It generally shouldn't be a big deal.