KHWiki:Staff policy

This policy was last updated on by User:

This staff policy is for the purpose of clarifying the role and responsibilities of the wiki's staff, as well as cases of inactivity, conditions for demotion, and conditions for promotion to the wiki's staff. This policy also serves to help users report staff abuses while protecting staff from backlash from general disagreement or opposition.

Expectations
First and foremost, all members of the wiki's staff are editors.

All members of the wiki's staff are expected to be examples of what editors strive to be. They should be role models, leaders, and guides. They should be kind, gentle, welcoming, and understanding, especially to new editors. The Wiki's staff should be mature and neutral, able to handle most tense situations with other editors coolly and making an effort to de-escalate any conflicts and discuss any issues or debates with the purpose of reaching a solution. They should be respectful of differing opinions and viewpoints.

Members of the wiki's staff should not abuse the powers granted to them, and should use them for the maintenance, improvement and protection of articles and files, and for the enforcement of established and community-approved policies. The members of the staff are not owners of the wiki; all editors have equal input in all decisions. The additional rights granted to members of the wiki's staff are not to impose a sense of superiority or elitism, and cannot be used for the purpose of censorship, the advancing of personal goals, or the oppression of the community.

Staff members should not be expected to be involved in all things at all times, and the community should be mindful of the fact that members of the wiki's staff cannot always be available or act in all situations. Members of the staff have discretion in what areas of work they are involved in. They are encouraged to be on the IRC as much as possible to deal with issues on the wiki in a timely manner.

Disciplinary action against any staff member for violating these expectations should be dealt on a case-by-case basis. However, any staff member using their additional rights for the purpose of censorship, oppression, or to have their way in arguments and discussion will face demotion. Any additional disciplinary action to be taken against such staff member should be discussed on by the community.

Additional information on expectations of the wiki's staff and the powers granted to them through additional tools/rights can be found in the administrator manual.

Elections
A user can be considered for promotion to the staff if they live the same standards and expectations expressed in previous section.

Elections are held for promotion of users to the wiki's staff, or for the promotion of users within the staff, and are open to the whole community. Elections for the promotion of users to the wiki's staff or for the promotion of existing staff members are held as the community feels it necessary. As of April 3, 2015, it is recommended that there be sufficient staff in correlation to the traffic to the wiki.

If one or both of these conditions are met, the community is open to open forums regarding the subject of electing new staff or promoting existing staff. These elections are open to the entire community, and all users have a voice in these discussions.

Declared retirement
Retirement is the extended and/or permanent inactivity of a user from the wiki. A staff member who plans to retire must notify the community that they will retire (and henceforth be inactive) for an indefinite amount of time, with the possibility of never returning. This may be due to a number of circumstances, such as a lack of time to edit. In this case, the following regulations are observed:


 * The staff member's rights are to be removed. If they do return to the wiki, they can get their rights back instantly with no probation period.
 * They should not be contacted for any Wiki matters.
 * Their staff icon is to be moved to the retired staff page.

Temporary retirement
Temporary Retirement is the extended (+6 months) but not permanent inactivity of a user from the wiki. Such users plan to return, but will be inactive for an extended period of time. A staff member who plans on being temporarily retired must notify the community that they are leaving the wiki for an extended, but definite, period of time. This may be due to a number of circumstances, such as vacations, trips, or others. In this case, the following regulations are observed:


 * The staff member's rights remain intact. After 6 months, they will be reminded of their status and asked if they plan to return to the wiki. If they decide they will not at that point, they will fall under the Retirement status. If they do not contact the wiki about their plans concerning whether they will return or not (give 1 month for response), they are placed in the "Undeclared Inactivity" category.
 * They should not be contacted for any Wiki matters.
 * Their staff icon remains on the active staff page but it is colored in grayscale to show their inactivity.

Declared inactivity
Temporary Inactivity is the short (no more than 6 months) but planned inactivity of a user, with the full intention to return to the wiki. A staff member that plans to be inactive temporarily should notify the community beforehand. This may be due to school. In this case, the following regulations are observed:


 * The staff member's rights remain intact unless they remain inactive 2 months after their given period of time. After the 2 months, the user shall be inquired as to their intentions of whether or not they wish to extend their inactivity, retire, or remain active. The extension shall last as long as the user needs it to be, and the user may only receive 2 extensions until they are considered to be temporarily retired. If no period of time is given, the user will be asked about their intentions of activity after 2 months after the declaration of inactivity, and may fall under the Undeclared Inactivity status.
 * They can be contacted for wiki matters unless otherwise stated.
 * Their staff icon will remain on the staff page in grayscale to show their inactivity.

Undeclared inactivity
Undeclared Inactivity is the scenario under which a staff member leaves or does not edit for an extended period of time (at least 4 months) without notice. This may be due to a number of circumstances, such as laziness, forgetfulness, or an uncontrollable situation which limits activity. All forms of inactivity in which notice was not given beforehand fall under this scenario. In this case, the following regulations are observed:


 * After 4 months of inactivity, they must be questioned of their activity and plans regarding the wiki.
 * The staff member's rights are removed after six months of inactivity. If they return and want their rights back, they must undergo a two-month probation period, during which they must prove they are active and responsible enough to hold their position again.
 * Their staff icon is moved to the retired staff page.

In all cases, community discussion must be had before the removal and/or restoration of rights of any staff member.

Reporting staff
Complaints against specific staff for violating the Staff policy should be filed in the Heartless Manufactory forums. The forum created should be the titled in the manner of <> v. <>. The user filing the complaint (creating the forum) should provide their argument when creating the forum. This includes the events that resulted in their complaint. Upon creation of the forum of complaint, the forum will be reviewed by the community and staff of the wiki. If the complaint is warranted, another staff member will approve of the forum and ask the accused staff member to respond. The accused staff member should then be given the opportunity to respond to the accusations. If there's any clear violation of the staff policy, appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against the violating staff member. Otherwise, another staff member will dismiss the forum, leaving note that the complaint is closed. The community is open to discussion, questions, and argument for or against the accusations only after both the accusing user and the accused staff member have posted. If any staff deems the accusation unwarranted upon creation of the forum and there is no support on behalf of the rest of the community for the accusations, the staff member can dismiss the complaint.

These complaint forums should only be created if a staff member is abusing staff powers for censorship, to win edit wars or arguments, or is attacking anyone directly. They should not be used if a user has a dispute or differing viewpoint over a subject, the wording of an article, or discussion of any events in relation to the Kingdom Hearts series or the wiki. Reverted edits are not grounds for filing a complaint against the staff unless there is clear abuse of staff tools/rights in the process. Abuse of this system will result in warnings and punishment as appropriate.

Previous discussion
The policy was discussed on the following pages and meetings:
 * 1) Forum:Staff Policy
 * 2) Roundtable - Meeting 16, January 5, 2013
 * 3) Roundtable - Meeting 28, August 8, 2014
 * 4) Forum:Discussing the policy.
 * 5) Roundtable - Meeting 35, April 3, 2015