Fanime Staff & Volunteer Etiquette (Brush up before the Con?)

[Junon]

I honestly don't know which section of the board this should go on, so for now I'll leave it here.

One of the things that bothers me most about FanimeCon is that roughly about than half the Staff or Volunteers lack etiquette. By nature I'm a cool trouble-free guy -- as in I don't ever seek trouble (but I do respond in kind when pushed). However every year I seem to get a staffer's face up in mine about something I did wrong and it's usually walking into or on some imaginary border. Mind you I'm no punk so I will snap back and go as far as physical is that came to be.

Last year as I was trying to register a badge, a friend and I walked through one of the main gates in the convention lobby. There were no signs on the gate, it was wide open, there were no lines or anything to tell us which gate we should enter upon. As soon as we walked in, a Fanime staffer comes yelling (yes yelling) at us about walking through the gate. "You can't go through there!!" in a nasty loud tone. In turn we both stopped, walked up to his face and told him to piss off and we continued to walk through regardless (oh yeah he was shaking in his boots then, we're not exactly friendly looking). All the gates went into the SAME lobby area anyway, so why did we get barked at for going through a specific gate (that was wide open) that went into the same area as the others? I believe this person felt like he had some kind of status or power that we should automatically respect. I do respect authority, rules and regulations, but not uncalled for attitude.

Now in all honesty, if he had approached us and told us that section of the lobby was off limits and pointed us to the right gate to enter, we would have thanked him, apologized and have absolutely no problems with him. Ever. But it didn't happen that way and it put me in a pretty cranky mood for awhile. I DID report this to Con Ops, not sure if anything ever came from it.

We also have problems sometimes with badge registration people. Attitudes to being unhelpful. Not ALL of them are like that, but there are some which do ruin the con experience. I can understand this being a somewhat high pressure job (we once ran console gaming back in 2000 @ Santa Clara), but it doesn't take much effort to show some respect to your customers. And also showing some respect to your customers will prevent conflicts. (Because you never know who's a ninja).

This isn't a roast topic, and I don't despise fanime staff & volunteers, but you guys do have some bad apples which I think should be looked into. I don't know if your meetings include them, but I think etiquette should be a topic of discussion for staff. There are just as many cool staffers that I got along with at fanime throughout the years, some I've even become friends with outside the con.

Thanks.

[ewu]

hey, thanks for letting us know. I moved this to our staff area so that staff are more likely to see it.

I can tell you that we are very concerned about people walking through those gates. This is because money is handled there and people coming from places we try to block is unpleasant. We also have a people flow that is important to manage to make sure the capacity of the registration area is not reached.

You ask why we keep the gates open? The same people that enforce the capacity: the fire marshal mandates it.

And so when people repeatedly not look or listen, those people watching the gates as well as doing other reg duties become short.


on yah, that is not a lobby area but a controlled registration area. :)

Thanks:)

[Junon]

Only last year there was nothing but open space where the gate allowed you to enter. Booth from years before were at a "South to North" layout upon entering (which was once close to the gate). Last year, there was a "West to East" layout which that gate was not near the booth, but further in to the right hand side. (I do understand what you're saying about the money being close to the exit issue, as well as the fire code).

But do you think we should have gotten yelled at and served with attitude for walking through a gate that was open and unlabeled? Had there been a sign that said *No Entrance* or *Not and Exit* we wouldn't have gone through. I think snapping from fanime staff becomes a bit too excessive at times.

Anyway I just hope a topic like this comes up during staff meetings.

P.S. I didn't post it in this forum as reading topics here, it seemed more of a recruitment section than a gripe section. =p

[ewu]

nope, its a general staff section.....


and it was roped off.....but some other person barging through most likely knocked it to the side....someone that lacked the respect and possibly the ability to read:)

[Tony]

Funny! This is going to be one of the big topics for the mandatory staff meeting.

SO many staffers - from all kinds of conventions - have a bad rep. That's really unfortunate, because it's a black mark against an otherwise good thing: volunteering for something you love. I feel strongly about changing that reputation - by emphasizing being friendly, attentive, and helpful - so it's definitely something we will address and encourage!

[PyronIkari]

Funny! This is going to be one of the big topics for the mandatory staff meeting.

SO many staffers - from all kinds of conventions - have a bad rep. That's really unfortunate, because it's a black mark against an otherwise good thing: volunteering for something you love. I feel strongly about changing that reputation - by emphasizing being friendly, attentive, and helpful - so it's definitely something we will address and encourage!

All con staffers have bad apples, and 90% of the time it's the rovers/security that have the power trip egos.

I have stories from every single con about how staff members have overstepped their bounds and acted inappropriately towards me. Fanime is no different of course. I honestly don't know what could be done about it, because essentially even if they're reported it becomes a their word vs. "yours" battle and nothing can be done or proven.

Worse incident is AX 2006, where a stuff member pushed me through a door and closed it on me. Funny thing was, I had a dealers badge, and I was allowed to be in that area. Reported, nothing happened because he said it didn't happen, no one saw it, and that was the end.

I've come to do things differently now. If staff members abuse their powers towards me... I give them hell for it, right then and there. I don't advocate this as you have to know where to draw the line, and you have to know how to do this without actually causing any real harm, like I did to some rovers last year XD. Basically a rover came up to me and a few friends as we were reenacting spinzaku. He was basically telling us to stop or he'll take our badges. I laughed at him and stated "You can't take our badges. First off we're not breaking any rules, we're not causing a fire hazard as we are near the wall, and 3rdly you aren't authorized to pull badges". He then argued with me and stated he could and he would if we continued to cause problems. I laughed and stated "wrong again, you aren't a department head nor are you an authorized part of rovers that is allowed. Actually, there's only like... 10 people that can pull badges, and you aren't one of them. Allow me to explain how to do your job. You are to prevent dangerous things from happening and prevent people from breaking rules. If someone is breaking the rules to the point where you think their badge should be pulled, you use your little radio to call someone that is allowed to."

Of course this totally pissed him off so he was like "THAT'S NO DIFFERENT THAN ME TAKING YOUR BADGE!" I replied back with a simple "Then call someone up here to take our badge and see what happens. I'm fairly certain at this point I know the con rules better than you do, and if you pursue this, I'm not going to be the one that gets in trouble here. You're harassing 2 paid attendees, a panelist, and a staff member right now. You're threatening them falsely, and abusing your powers as a rover". He said something under his breath and walked away. The guy he was with apologized to me and I said it was cool, and he and I chatted for a bit before he headed off to catch up to his pissed off partner.

I honestly don't know what staff could possibly do to prevent things like this. It's impossible to know who will act like they're on a power trip, and who won't.

For attendees, my advice is, don't let them get their way if they're wrong. Don't let bad apples boss you around when you're not doing anything wrong. If they have a point, like to move the line and stuff like that, and what not, then listen... but like in the case with me, don't let them walk over you. Challenge them if you're not doing anything wrong, and tell them to call someone higher up in rovers. Rovers higher ups have a lot to do and I apologize that this may cause you more work, but it's better than attendees being stepped on by power hungry kids with a badge.

[Steve.Young]

This year, Me and Bald Mike (Our department head) have taken a hard line on the improved Rover training program we have this year (So much extra paperwork but I believe it to be worth it).

If you have any problems with any staff, you can walk into a Rover's office or Con Ops, and we can facilitate a resolution. Especially if you have a problem with Rover's staff, come talk to me.

[Raiha]

I think it's very easy for convention goers to sit back in self righteous satisfaction and proclaim that they've been wronged.  But it's very easy for them to say that when they overlook the simple truth that there are a lot of con attendees.  And not so many staff members or rovers.  While this is unfortunate and no excuse for bad behavior, people need to remember that while some people become rovers because they like to boss other people around and are probably sexually inadequate others are doing it to keep the convention a safe and positive place for everyone.

So if that means you're subjected to some questioning about the nature of your cosplay props, or asked to go smoke somewhere else, or not block an exit, that's something you should probably live with.  You're not being picked on. 

[ewu]

oh snap, you questioned their sexuality....I love it!:)

This receives official FS approval.....well maybe not...Eric approval:)

[M]

Let me also suggest that you ask a staffer for their badge number and/or name if you would like to report them. If they refuse, you can always give a description of what they look like and where they were (department workers are generally in the same area throughout the convention).

There is also a line between someone yelling at you to make sure that you hear them vs someone yelling at you because they think you're an idiot, so please don't think that someone yelling at you is just because they're throwing attitude your way. I'm just saying this in general (your thread reminded me of this thought).

Also, I don't condone Mikey's method of "giving a staff member hell".

[Dagger-6]

Don't settle for a description.  The badge numbers should be on the staff badges, if I remember correctly.  And if they won't show you the staff badge, something is suspect.  Why would someone need to hide their staff affiliation?

[elley]

I fully respect the staff, rovers, and everyone who volunteers who work really hard to make sure the con runs smoothly and everyone is safe. There are a lot of attendees and it's true that more than likely some attendees can be rude, inconsiderate, and have no regard for policy or rules. However, I don't think a staff member has the right to take their frustration from other people out on me when I haven't done anything or did something by mistake, of which I will politely listen and apologize.

Really, the bottom line is that if you're part of staff that's working a public/customer service position, that means leaving all your emotional and ego issues at the door when you're on the job. People who work as rovers and volunteers have to keep in mind that they are representing Fanime, so that means being patient and respectful. Not to mention, if a questionable safety situation should occur, then the best approach would be to have a calm and collected demeanor so that the incident is not further aggravated. Having a power trip does not help a situation and in some cases, may even be adding fuel to the fire.

Although I wouldn't suggest "giving a staff member hell," I don't see why you can't be assertive and asking for names and badge numbers to show you're serious isn't a bad idea either. And if the staff member wants to do something extreme, request to speak with their superior (department head or whatever).

[M]

Don't settle for a description.  The badge numbers should be on the staff badges, if I remember correctly.  And if they won't show you the staff badge, something is suspect.  Why would someone need to hide their staff affiliation?

Unfortunately, staff members that are abusing their "power" might also be the type of staffer that would refuse to show their badge. I do agree, that if you ask for a staffer's badge/name, it should be given.

I fully respect the staff, rovers, and everyone who volunteers who work really hard to make sure the con runs smoothly and everyone is safe. There are a lot of attendees and it's true that more than like some attendees can be rude,inconsiderate, and have no regard for policy or rules. However, I don't think a staff member has the right to take their frustration from other people out on me when I haven't done anything or did something by mistake, of which I will politely listen and apologize.

Really, the bottom line is that if you're part of staff that's working a public/customer service position, that means leaving all your emotional and ego issues at the door when you're on the job. People who work as rovers and volunteers have to keep in mind that they are representing Fanime, so that means being patient and respectful. Not to mention, if a questionable safety situation should occur, then the best approach would be to have a calm and collected demeanor so that the incident is not further aggravated. Having a power trip does not help a situation and in some cases, may even be adding fuel to the fire.

Although I wouldn't suggest "giving a staff member hell," I don't see why you can't be assertive and asking for names and badge numbers to show you're serious isn't a bad idea either. And if the staff member wants to do something extreme, request to speak with their superior (department head or whatever).

Respect is something that needs to be given in general from all sides.

Your post is exactly what I agree with. :)