I, the author, am the owner of an advertising agency. And while I don’t run it myself, I do have one employee who is responsible for all the aspects of our business, including website designing since I know how vital of a role it can play in attracting and interacting with potential clients and customers. I hired this person because he was good at what he did and he knew how to get things done on time and at the best value for my company. He also had some experience with web development and so we thought that he would be a good fit for the job.
However, as his work progressed, it became obvious to me that he wasn’t very good at what he was doing. He didn’t listen well, couldn’t think through the consequences of his actions, and just generally was not a good manager.
This situation has been going on for about a year now and I’m starting to get frustrated. We are spending money on his services, which is fine by me, but I feel like he’s wasting my resources. I don’t know if it’s possible for us to find another web designer to take over the project, but I feel like I should do something in order to save face and protect my reputation. Is it better to hire someone from web design studio NYC? What can I do?
- The Problem
My first inclination here is to fire him. But before you decide to do this, consider the following points:
1) If you fire this guy, then you’ll have to find someone new to replace him. And it will cost you more money to hire someone else than it would if you keep the incompetent guy around.
2) You might be hurting your business’ reputation unnecessarily by suddenly firing the guy even if the work he gives is not satisfactory. It’s possible that if you let this guy go, other companies won’t want to do business with you. This could negatively affect your bottom line.
3) You’re probably already paying too much in salary, benefits, and overhead expenses of this guy and his position.
If you decide to keep the guy, then I suggest you try to improve his performance before you make any drastic changes. One way to accomplish this is to give him a set amount of work each week. For example, say that he gets $100 per week (that’s a lot of money). Each week, give him half of that amount, or $50, and tell him that he must complete 50% of the work that he received last week. Then when he finishes his project, send him a check for the remaining amount of money. This way, you’re still paying him full-time, but you’re giving him less work to complete. You’re also forcing him to focus on quality instead of quantity.
Another option might be to change his role within the company. Instead of having him manage the entire team, have him only deal with certain projects. Have him create websites for clients, while other employees handle the more mundane tasks such as accounting, payroll, etc.
- Make Sure Your Company Is Ready
Before you start looking for a new web developer, make sure that your company is ready to accept outside help. It isn’t always easy to find competent people. In fact, most of the time, it’s harder to find a competent person than it is to find a non-competent person. So even though you may be tempted to hire somebody new, it might be better to wait until your current developer is no longer working there. At least then, you’ll be making sure that you’re hiring the right person for the job, rather than trying to fix somebody who doesn’t belong there.
- Hire A Consultant
If you decide to hire somebody new to work at your office, you might want to consider hiring a consultant. You can find consultants online who specialize in many different areas. Some are generalists who will consult with you on any area of your business. Others specialize in particular fields such as marketing, finance, human resources, etc. The key is to find somebody who knows exactly what they’re doing, whether they’re paid hourly or not.
- Find A Way To Measure Performance
Once you’ve made the decision to hire somebody new, you need to find a way to measure their progress. If you were able to give them a specific amount of work each week, then you could easily see where their productivity stands. This will allow you to determine whether they’re performing up to par and allow you to adjust accordingly.
- Be Patient
The worst thing that you can do is to rush into making drastic changes. As long as your company is running smoothly, it’s probably best to stick with the status quo, even if it means waiting months or years for the results to show.
- Consider Outsourcing
It might seem counterintuitive, but one option you might want to look into is outsourcing. There are plenty of companies out there that specialize in small businesses and offer services such as web design, SEO, copywriting, graphic design, social media management, etc. Many of these companies have large teams of designers and writers who can get the job done quickly at a low cost.
- Ask For Help
In addition to seeking advice from others, you might want to ask your current web developer for suggestions. Perhaps you could bring him along to meetings with potential customers. Maybe he could offer feedback on your current website. If you’re lucky, he might even be willing to help you build an entirely new site.
- Don’t Fire Them
Despite the fact that it’s unlikely that you’ll find an equally skilled freelancer, chances are that you’re still going to end up with a talented developer. After all, you’re not a professional web developer. Therefore, you’re going to have to train somebody to become proficient. So even if you fire your current developer, you’re likely going to have to train somebody else anyway.
As you can see, there are a number of ways that you can approach the problem of finding a competent web developer for your company.
