Team Building My Staff Is Super Lazy – What should I do?

[Cedric]

The following post does not apply to the Administrata Team.

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You’ve got a moderator team, but they’re not really doing anything. Maybe they were active at first, but now they barely log in, don’t handle reports, and seem generally uninterested. It’s frustrating when you feel like you’re running everything on your own.

So, what’s going on, and what can you do about it?

Figuring out the Problem​

Before assuming they’re just lazy, take a step back and look at the situation.

• Are they burned out? If they’ve been handling too much, they might have checked out without saying anything. I've been there, it happens.
• Do they actually know what’s expected of them? Some people hesitate to act because they’re unsure of their role.
• Are they still interested? Priorities change, and some moderators may have just lost interest.
• Is there even much to moderate? If the community is quiet, they might not feel the need to step in.

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What can I do?​

• Talk to them. A simple conversation can clear up whether they’re struggling, uninterested, or just unaware of what needs to be done.
• Create a moderation guide. If they don’t know what their responsibilities are, they’re not going to step up. It often helps to have a staff role table.
• Give them the right tools. If they don’t have what they need to do their job, they won’t do it. XenForo has a great Moderation Panel add on.
• Recognize their efforts. If the only time they hear from you is when something’s wrong, they won’t feel motivated. Be grateful and thank them often for their continuous efforts!
• Know when it’s time to replace them. If someone isn’t contributing and isn’t interested in improving, it’s better to move on.

Have you dealt with this before? How did you handle it? Let’s talk about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to managing a moderator team.

 

[InMyOpinion]

Handling lazy staff on a forum can be tricky and difficult to do at times but I think it starts with understanding why they are inactive as you, @Cedric mentioned. Is it because they are overwhelmed, unmotivated, or just not a good fit for the role?

What I have done in the past when I've came across lazy staff members is I've check in with them privately to see if maybe life got busy but usually a conversation can clarify what's going on as Cedric mentioned above. I've also set clear expectations, so they were aware of what I was asking of them. I would give them specific tasks so we can monitor whether or not they were being done. I would also reevaluate their role to see if it would be better to adjust their responsibilities.

Sometimes it can be tricky to deal with this because you don't want to be accusatory or put the staff down, instead you want to make sure they are okay and that they have all the tools necessary to do what is expected of them. If after all of the attempts to help them fail, then that is when I would demote them and explain that currently we don't believe it is a good fit for the forum and if in the future anything changes we will reach out and let them know.

 

[Ravenfreak]

I have dealt with this in the past. I reached out to the moderator who went inactive, and he never replied to my message. So I demoted him. I get it life can be stressful at times and you might need a break. I did give the guy a week to respond and since he never did, I figured he just got bored with the forum.

 

[Scorpion (Girl)]

I think you also have content team member staff; you should give them a "super lazy award". (I'm not included.)

 

[InMyOpinion]

I have dealt with this in the past. I reached out to the moderator who went inactive, and he never replied to my message. So I demoted him. I get it life can be stressful at times and you might need a break. I did give the guy a week to respond and since he never did, I figured he just got bored with the forum.

I'm always worried when a staff member never replies and I don't see them on any other forums (if they frequent them) for some reason my mind goes straight away to the worst possible reason such as death. I have been a part of communities where active members and staff just disappear and unfortunately it is because they have passed away. It's always sad to lose members and sometimes there isn't anyone who knows them in real life so they can't exactly let the staff know that they have since passed. I'm really hoping that's not what happened in your case but nevertheless, you did what was right for the forum so good on you =)

 

[CTS]

We have to remember, being a staff member is a responsibility.

And the senior staff has to remember that staff (typically) are giving a part of their life for no pay to further and support YOUR website.

Its a balancing act, but I would offer staff an easy out if some life is needed to be taken back. You can always re-hire when they are more available. I mean, short of something bad happening, you did want them in the first place. So that shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Bawse]

Ask them to be more active. If not find a new staff member. I don't mind if my staff don't post a lot, but I do require them to have an active presence in my community.