Our community board has a secretary who was elected recently but she struggles with basic technology. She can handle email responses but won’t learn Google Docs or any online document sharing platforms. When I suggested using digital mail services for official correspondence, she refused to try them.
The main issue is that she handles violation notices manually with handwritten envelopes that look unprofessional. Since she’s on the violation committee, she expects everyone to trust that notices were properly sent without providing any delivery confirmation or digital records.
I offered to train her on simple email-to-mail services where you just send an email and the company prints and mails it automatically. She still won’t consider it. Now other board members are picking up extra work because of her reluctance to use modern tools.
Since we’re self-managed, can we establish minimum technology requirements for board positions? It seems unfair that one person’s tech avoidance creates more work for everyone else.
i get what ur saying! framing it as a legal need could help her see the point. i mean, no one wants to be in trouble if something goes wrong. maybe emphasizing that it protects the board as a whole could shift her mindset a bit. just support each other in the process!
Adding tech requirements after someone’s already hired gets legally messy and creates drama. Here’s what worked for us: document everything first. Track missed deadlines, extra hours other board members are pulling, and complaints about unprofessional emails. Take that data to the full board as a business case for better operations. You could also hire a part-time admin assistant to handle the digital stuff while your secretary sticks to traditional tasks. Costs more upfront but avoids personality clashes and keeps things professional without forcing anyone out. Sometimes taking the easier route works best long-term.
We had the same issue in our HOA a few years ago. Instead of forcing tech requirements, we just shuffled responsibilities. Moved the violation committee work to someone who was comfortable with digital tools, and let the secretary stick to meeting minutes and basic correspondence. Got the job done without forcing anyone out or creating drama. You could also put together a board operations manual that lays out standard procedures for official notices - including delivery confirmation. People push back less when you frame it as ‘following procedures’ instead of ‘learn this new tech.’ Bottom line: make it about being professional, not about whether someone can use a computer.