You're demoted, go figure out your life...

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

Have you ever demoted a dedicated, but stressed out staff member because you think they have too much on their plate in real life?

Do you think they should be the one to quit if they want to ...or is a forced demotion a kind gesture of mercy?

 

[DrLeftover]

I was staff on the BBS when the Sysop demoted a staff member who was solely using his position on the board to hook up with girls to the point of not even answering messages from either Sysop or Cosysop while he was chatting up his latest.

And, some of the girls he was after turned out to be under age.

He was upset because getting thrown off staff was going to infringe on his social life. (this was in something like 1992, before face's had books, and dialup BBSing was all there was, and the board I was with had over 500 members)

 

[Dee]

Yes, definitely. I have had to talk to some of my staff in the past about not performing their duties as a moderator/administrator. It's not a personal thing against them, but rather a nudge saying, 'Hey, I know you've got life outside of this forum, but we've noticed your absence and it may be better if we absolve you of your duties here.' Of course, I would like to have a conversation with them about it FIRST, but it has happened before.

 

[Jazzy]

The very first thing should be to talk to the staff member. We all have to remember that staff are volunteering their time. Sometimes they will quit on their own when you just ask the right questions. Sometimes they promise that they will be more active and you give them a second chance. Either way it goes, they should be talked to first. Just because you feel (as an Admin) they are too stressed out to do their volunteer position, it may not be the case.

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

I agree that it should be discussed first. Everyone needs a break and lots of people get on forums during their free time to escape the stresses of the real world. Some people are very attached to their staff roles and ripping that away could create even more stress for them, instead of helping them out. Especially if they're doing a good job in their staff role despite offline issues.

 

[Bluezone777]

Sometimes some people become so dedicated to their work that they won't quit even if everything and everyone including their own bodies is screaming to take a break. It's in times like these that you have to retire them so they will take a break. It's easy enough to spot someone who needs to be retired so they will rest versus one that will do it if they are asked to. It really depends on the situation at hand to know which is which but once you are in that spot then you will know which is the right thing to do.