When staff goes MIA?

[KO896]

When a Staff member goes missing for days, weeks, etc... how long do you give them before you officially fire them and remove them from the team?

 

[Dead2009]

Probably 6 months. If theyre gone for half the year, chances are they probably arent coming back,

 

[EllieCat]

I would at least tell the admins before I officially go.

 

[PGen98]

If they haven't said where they're going or if they're still active elsewhere after a few weeks, I'd reach out to see what's going on, if they hit 2-3 months with nothing or minimal activity, I'd remove them. I tend to be pretty lenient, especially on smaller forums, but a total lack of communication? That's a bit of a no-no.

 

[Mendalla]

if they hit 2-3 months with nothing or minimal activity, I'd remove them

This. Maybe even 1-2 months. Having a mod or admin account that's unused and unattended creates risk, IMHO. But then again, I'm an IT pro in my day job so tend to be a bit paranoid about security-related issues. Admins are probably more critical than mods. If an admin has left, get those admin rights off quickly given how much damage a rogue admin account could do.

That said, I don't think I have ever had this happen. I have one mod currently on a health break but she let us know what was happening so I removed her mod rights and told her I would reinstate when she returns.

 

[PGen98]

This. Maybe even 1-2 months. Having a mod or adminchronic condition she's been battling for years) account that's unused and unattended creates risk, IMHO. But then again, I'm an IT pro in my day job so tend to be a bit paranoid about security-related issues. Admins are probably more critical than mods. If an admin has left, get those admin rights off quickly given how much damage a rogue admin account could do.

This is where I like XenForo's permission system quite a lot. If there is cause for concern, XF allows you to restrict permissions one at a time until they're an admin in name only, so the risk becomes minimal if need be, but I do agree that admins are more critical to remove if they suddenly go AWOL than moderators. Mods can do damage, but limited damage. Admins can do permanent, very severe damage if their accounts were to be compromised or they came back with some kind of vendetta. It's important to keep communication as open as possible and take precautions to keep yourself safe.

That said, I don't think I have ever had this happen. I have one mod currently on a health break but she let us know what was happening so I removed her mod rights and told her I would reinstate when she returns.

This is a very smart, very sensible approach.

 

[Web Diva]

I would send out a courtesy message. if there isn't a response within a day or two, I'll likely remove their status at that point until I hear back from them. Member security is important and comes first to me. Sorting out what happens next if they respond in a week or so, or month later would all depend on why they disappeared without notice. For me, I'm the only admin, with exception of another webmaster that does difficult website work for me that's fully vetted and knowledgeable. Keeping the keys to the kingdom to a limited few is essential; same for server access. Moderators would have certain levels of permissions depending on their experience etc.

 

[Bawse]

Probably 6 months. If theyre gone for half the year, chances are they probably arent coming back,

That is generous. I'd give them a week or two. If they haven't contacted me they'll be off the team.

 

[Dead2009]

That is generous. I'd give them a week or two. If they haven't contacted me they'll be off the team.

So what if they had a death in the family and had to travel out of state? What if they went on vacation? What if they themselves were in the hospital? If you're serious, that's such a knee jerk reaction, lol.

 

[PsychoticThoughts]

I usually give them a month to show up, and a year to put themselves in contact with the site.

Let's not forget that staffing is an often thankless, volunteer work.

 

[Bawse]

So what if they had a death in the family and had to travel out of state? What if they went on vacation? What if they themselves were in the hospital? If you're serious, that's such a knee jerk reaction, lol.

If they were to have time away from the community, I'd like a notice before so I don't think they just went AWOL.

Obviously I can make exceptions if they had a death in their family, or any other severe situations. I'm easy going, but my site must move forward.

 

[Dead2009]

If they were to have time away from the community, I'd like a notice before so I don't think they just went AWOL.

Obviously I can make exceptions if they had a death in their family, or any other severe situations. I'm easy going, but my site must move forward.

Your site moves forward by the community you create, not staff. I get you would want active staff members all the time, but again, I feel it's honestly a knee jerk reaction to demote someone after a week of not being on it. You're not going to get any new staff that way and the ones that you do have are going to be afraid to go on vacation with their families, lose the power or internet, or have something else happen that would cause them to get demoted.

As someone mentioned earlier...these aren't paid positions. They're essentially volunteer jobs looking over a website for the admin.

 

[Bawse]

Your site moves forward by the community you create, not staff. I get you would want active staff members all the time, but again, I feel it's honestly a knee jerk reaction to demote someone after a week of not being on it. You're not going to get any new staff that way and the ones that you do have are going to be afraid to go on vacation with their families, lose the power or internet, or have something else happen that would cause them to get demoted.

As someone mentioned earlier...these aren't paid positions. They're essentially volunteer jobs looking over a website for the admin.

I require my staff members to be active members of the community, it's also not your typical forum. We have poker freerolls/rewards for our members.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

I try to reach out. You never know about life these days.

If they don't respond, I'll demote them and send a PM letting them know to hit me up if they come back.

Usually, they don't for whatever reason.

I was a moderator on a cycling forum. The owner just got up and vanished but kept paying his bills. I never found out what happened to him. His forum eventually shut down.