Anna, Your points are valid and well taken. If I may summarize what I think I heard, it's basically: "Getting things right can be hard, and if full preparations weren't made ahead of time, thorough answers may not be readily available. Be compassionate/patient." Is that about right? If so, I agree in principle and in spirit, but I think the point is in tension with another one:
Community and public enthusiasm for software can be a rare and important thing. The conditions that make it grow, shrink, or sustain are complex, and largely beyond the influence of a handful of mailing list participants. The recent outputs of the Interactive Team have generated enthusiasm in a number of venues, and many on this list (both volunteers and staff) would like to see it grow or sustain, and perhaps throw a little weight behind an effort to make it grow or sustain. But that enthusiasm has a half-life. What is possible today may not be possible next week or next month. The zeitgeist may have evolved or moved on by then. -Pete -- [[User:Peteforsyth]] On Wed, Jan 25, 2017 at 3:53 PM, Anna Stillwell <[email protected]> wrote: > You make substantive points, Tim. Thank you. > > "An employee should not experience their time off as a period where his > [her/they] work load is just temporarily buffered until his [her/they] > return, but where colleagues will step in and take care of business." > > I take this point seriously and don't wish you to think otherwise. In > theory, I absolutely agree. In practice, sometimes we all face constraints. > There are roughly 300 of us (order of magnitude). Every now and then, there > are not enough of us to go around on everything on a timeline that meets > the legitimate need that you present here. We'll continue to work on this. > But, to clarify, no one ever said it was a "useful practice" nor did anyone > suggest that it was generalized across the org. > > What I was wondering about in my previous email and now reiterating in this > one too, are people willing to grant their request: a bit of time and allow > for one person to return to work? > > Does that seem like a way to move forward? > > Warmly, > /a > > On Wed, Jan 25, 2017 at 2:50 PM, Tim Landscheidt <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > Anna Stillwell <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > […] > > > > > I also hear that the pause on the interactive work is temporary. I’ve > > heard > > > them request time. I am comfortable granting that request, but no one > is > > > required to agree with me. They’ve also said that the person with the > > most > > > information is on vacation. As someone who has seen employees go > through > > > considerable stress in the last years, the entire executive team is > > working > > > to establish some cultural standards around supporting vacations. We > want > > > people here to feel comfortable taking proper vacations and sometimes > > that > > > can even need to happen in a crisis. People often plan their vacations > > well > > > in advance and may not know that something tricky will come up. Just so > > you > > > understand one bias I bring to this conversation. > > > > > […] > > > > I concur with DJ in his initial mail that this is not a use- > > ful practice, and I doubt very much that it relieves employ- > > ees' stress. It conveys the organizational expectation that > > employees are SPOFs without any backup. An employee should > > not experience their time off as a period where his work > > load is just temporarily buffered until his return, but > > where colleagues will step in and take care of business. > > Especially such a major decision like "pausing" a team > > should not depend on the inner thoughts of one employee, but > > be backed and explainable by others. > > > > Tim > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > > New messages to: [email protected] > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> > > > > > > -- > "If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it." - Margaret > Fuller > > Anna Stillwell > Director of Culture > Wikimedia Foundation > 415.806.1536 > *www.wikimediafoundation.org <http://www.wikimediafoundation.org>* > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > New messages to: [email protected] > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> > _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines New messages to: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe>
