Changes to Grading and Staff Bonuses

[Several Zombies]

As of next week, we will be making some sweeping changes to the current bonuses available to Graders and Staff Members.

Graders will no longer receive 100 additional points for grading, but will instead get 100 Kan as payment for their services. This Kan can be claimed even on weeks when the grader didn't personally write, unlike the previous stat bonus.

Similarly, Staff Members will now receive a 100 Kan stipend on weeks in which they did reviews or participated in staff-related activities. This pay cannot be claimed if the staffers responsibilities were not met (ie: if reviews are late).

This is to address the issue of graders and staff members receiving large amounts of stats 'for free' over long periods of time. As not all members get the opportunity to participate in these activities, we feel that this will better level the playing field in the long-term.

Any questions regarding these changes can be posted in here for Will or myself to respond to.

 

[Eidolon]

A great choice in the right direction. Bravo.

 

[Rob]

What about the penalties?

 

[Several Zombies]

The grading or staff penalties have been reined in. Instead of any big stat hits, you just don't receive your pay. That being said, if things start getting lax and it becomes a problem, we may have to reinstate the old penalties. For now though, you just won't receive your kan.

 

[Rob]

Then it sounds fair enough.

 

[Redfin]

Would staff also get kan even if they did not write?

 

[swaswj]

Would staff also get kan even if they did not write?

Correct.

 

[Sormeki]

Is the VC bonus for assisting with grading also being adjusted for this or will it remain as it is?

 

[Time Lady Katie]

So I understand: instead of 200 points and 100 kan, graders simply do not receive the 200 points; instead of 100 points, staff receive 100 kan. I assume VC bonus would be retooled as, say, a 50 kan stipend, and Division Bonus is unaffected. Changes are not retroactive, but effective immediately. Correct assumptions?

If I had the opportunity to weigh in on this decision prior to it being made, I would have requested that part of this be returning to the old weekly or biweekly update of kan totals instead of our current monthly or longer update periods, to make these rewards more tangible, but I assume that is not part of this decision.

 

[swaswj]

So I understand: instead of 200 points and 100 kan, graders simply do not receive the 200 points; instead of 100 points, staff receive 100 kan. I assume VC bonus would be retooled as, say, a 50 kan stipend, and Division Bonus is unaffected. Changes are not retroactive, but effective immediately. Correct assumptions?

If I had the opportunity to weigh in on this decision prior to it being made, I would have requested that part of this be returning to the old weekly or biweekly update of kan totals instead of our current monthly or longer update periods, to make these rewards more tangible, but I assume that is not part of this decision.

Correct, including the 50 Kan for VC, except effective next week. This week's grading will be the last time the old bonuses are given.

Also, staff/graders will receive the bonus even on weeks they didn't write, as long as they performed staff duties or graded.

As for the 'weekly/biweekly' updates, there has never been a consistent schedule for updates. The most recent updates have not been a month apart, either.

4/24
5/04
5/25
5/27
6/03

 

[Sormeki]

VC Bonus -

Dubbed the "Vice-Captain's Bonus" since that is typically who claims it, this bonus is for helping with grading, training, or other vice-captainly duties, at the usual grader's discretion. This bonus can be given to lower-ranked members, and does not have to be given to anyone at all.

The member receives +100 points for their assistance.​

​

Just a thought. What about the other part of VC bonus regarding training and other "vice-captainly" duties? It makes sense for the grading portion to be switched to a kan reward like the grade and staff bonuses. However, the other portions seem like they would make more sense as a stat bonus.

 

[swaswj]

​

Just a thought. What about the other part of VC bonus regarding training and other "vice-captainly" duties? It makes sense for the grading portion to be switched to a kan reward like the grade and staff bonuses. However, the other portions seem like they would make more sense as a stat bonus.

The same Kan bonus applies.

 

[Time Lady Katie]

Correct, including the 50 Kan for VC, except effective next week. This week's grading will be the last time the old bonuses are given.

Also, staff/graders will receive the bonus even on weeks they didn't write, as long as they performed staff duties or graded.

As for the 'weekly/biweekly' updates, there has never been a consistent schedule for updates. The most recent updates have not been a month apart, either.

4/24
5/04
5/25
5/27
6/03

Can we make a more solid schedule of kan updates, then? If kan is the reward for staff duties, it seems important that kan claims be pruriently and regularly processed. Otherwise, they aren't much of a reward for service.

 

[Sormeki]

Perhaps having a Kan Staff member whose specific job it is to update kan claims. They could be held to the same penalties other staff would be for not doing the update every week or two, whatever is decided. Then as far as them claiming Kan have them have to claim to a GM just like a normal staff would have to do since they can't review their own stuff. Then there would be only one person, the kan staff member, that might have to wait for their kan but everyone else would be receiving it on time almost like a paycheck. Needs of the many and all that. As long as there is someone that would be fine waiting for their kan in exchange for making sure the rest of the rp got their kan in a timely manner.

 

[swaswj]

Can we make a more solid schedule of kan updates, then? If kan is the reward for staff duties, it seems important that kan claims be pruriently and regularly processed. Otherwise, they aren't much of a reward for service.

That's... not how you use that word

Perhaps having a Kan Staff member whose specific job it is to update kan claims. They could be held to the same penalties other staff would be for not doing the update every week or two, whatever is decided. Then as far as them claiming Kan have them have to claim to a GM just like a normal staff would have to do since they can't review their own stuff. Then there would be only one person, the kan staff member, that might have to wait for their kan but everyone else would be receiving it on time almost like a paycheck. Needs of the many and all that. As long as there is someone that would be fine waiting for their kan in exchange for making sure the rest of the rp got their kan in a timely manner.

It requires Admin permission to give Kan. That means either me or Sev... or Lil when the mood strikes her. I'm not planning to promote someone to Admin for the sole purpose of giving out Kan.

I'll endeavor to make the updates more regularly but it's one more thing on top of a host of other things. It's not a major priority in the grand scheme.

 

[Time Lady Katie]

That's... not how you use that word

It requires Admin permission to give Kan. That means either me or Sev... or Lil when the mood strikes her. I'm not planning to promote someone to Admin for the sole purpose of giving out Kan.

I'll endeavor to make the updates more regularly but it's one more thing on top of a host of other things. It's not a major priority in the grand scheme.

Sorry, spelling check decided to go a different direction from my intent.

But if the kan rewards are not going to pay out on a regular, consistent and hasty basis, they are not worthwhile rewards. They are no tangible benefit to performing certain tasks. Honestly, I would prefer no reward whatsoever and an expectation for staff to do their jobs because the jobs must be done to a bonus in kan that may or may not be granted in a timely fashion. I don't like working for a carrot that only sometimes is real, I'd rather work because people need me to. If you don't want to provide staff and graders any form of bonus, simply don't. Offering them kan is like saying you're sure they don't care enough to do it for free but you don't want to actually give them anything, so you'll award them some in-game currency and apply it to their account if they're very, very good.

There is one in a series of changes that, in principle, I approve of but in execution make me feel less and less desired as a member of the community, and in turn make me desire less and less to remain as a member of the community.

 

[swaswj]

Sorry, spelling check decided to go a different direction from my intent.

But if the kan rewards are not going to pay out on a regular, consistent and hasty basis, they are not worthwhile rewards. They are no tangible benefit to performing certain tasks. Honestly, I would prefer no reward whatsoever and an expectation for staff to do their jobs because the jobs must be done to a bonus in kan that may or may not be granted in a timely fashion. I don't like working for a carrot that only sometimes is real, I'd rather work because people need me to. If you don't want to provide staff and graders any form of bonus, simply don't. Offering them kan is like saying you're sure they don't care enough to do it for free but you don't want to actually give them anything, so you'll award them some in-game currency and apply it to their account if they're very, very good.

There is one in a series of changes that, in principle, I approve of but in execution make me feel less and less desired as a member of the community, and in turn make me desire less and less to remain as a member of the community.

You have always been paid. It's not a question of "will you receive Kan?" because you have, 100% of the time, received your Kan.

Offering Kan as a reward is one way to address some of the power creep (although it would have been better much earlier) and also to reward staff members who are obligated to do their staff-work even when they haven't written. It's unfair, and fails to show my respect for what staff does, to say, "You have to do this in x days whether you write or not, but you'll only get paid if you write." By the same token, the reason that caveat has always been there is because it's not fair to everyone else to let staff members just read others' writing or submissions and continue to grow as characters.

Therefore Sev and I decided to offer Kan, an in-game currency which doesn't let a character grow without writing, but does allow the user to apply it toward bonuses or items for when they do write. In this way, staff continues to receive compensation for the work they do, which is not always easy.

Considering the fact that it's a lot harder to manually assign Kan through the Admin Console than it is to say, "give yourself 100 points," this is more work on my part, more work on Sev's part. No part of this decision was ever made to take bonuses away, but to retool the bonus into something that is tangible and more beneficial to everyone as a whole. Whether you appreciate that or not, you will continue to receive your Kan 100% of the time, the same way you always have.

 

[Time Lady Katie]

I would rather no bonus at all to this reward. The motivation of doing something important is far greater to the disingenuous offer of kan. This reward says to me that you, the admins, do not trust staff to take their responsibilities seriously without some manner of payment, but refuse to regularly and consistently provide that payment. It signals a lack of value of what we do, not an appreciation. You need us, you want to stop power creep, so stopping our payment is best, but you don't trust us to do the job without it.

I expect this objection to be noted.

 

[Shadowwind]

Ok I need to say this, kan has been updated 3 times in 4 weeks, that's not all that bad, are you honestly 100 kan away from something you want to be buying? You're blowing this way out of proportion and feigning anger at something that doesn't need it. Will explained why kan is only updated since there are only 2 regular people who can update it and those people do most of the work on the forum, I really don't see how this is all that major of an inconvenience for anyone. I hardly believe any one else on staff feels that somehow the admins are cheating them some sorta reward because kan can take 1-2 weeks to receive.

 

[K3]

Speaking as a staff member, I hardly take this as a signal to not take my responsibilities seriously.

I hardly took the job of Item Staff because I wanted the points. They were a nice side, as will be the Kan, but it's not why I do the job. I do the job because I want to help people make items. Simple as that.

The idea that we should feel cheated due to a lack of reward seems rather... disingenuous. If we as staff should feel motivated solely by our reward, I hardly think we deserve the positions in the first place.