[WikiEN-l] Another admin burnout

[Steve Bennett]

On 12/20/07, Todd Allen <toddmallen at gmail.com> wrote:
> I have tried to look back through some of the previous implosions,
> though. I find that one extremely common thread is that the person tends
> to become progressively more brusque, hostile, and nonresponsive, and
> tends to respond to questions or criticism either by ignoring it or by
> attacking the questioner.

This sounds like a standard response to a person becoming stressed due
to more and more demands being placed on them and less margin for
error. People get terse and aggressive when they feel that they have a
big workload and no one to share it with. In the case of our admins,
there are so many pressures now: problems to solve, but also a lot of
"don't do this, don't do that". Attempting to navigate all these
pitfalls while watching out for trolls is likely to do anyone's head
in.

> For most admins, though, a marked change in the way they react to people
> (especially toward the negative) should be a good reason for someone to
> gently suggest they take a voluntary and temporary break from the tools
> before they're given an involuntary and permanent one. Ideally, this
> would be someone the person knows and trusts, and that the person being
> given the advice would be hesitant to simply brush off as a troll or a
> fool. As to those trusted people, the best thing you can do for those
> you trust and care for is to be honest with them, even when that honesty
> might sting a little.

I don't know that a temporary break solves much in these situations,
if the underlying causes haven't changed.

Steve