5 Rules for Working, Hiring, and Virtual Staffing

By Tobi Fairley

Interior Designers wear so many hats. It is sometimes hard to decide what you should be doing as the Principal, when to hire and when to outsource.

Here are 5 rules of thumb that I use to determine the who, what, and when as it pertains to your workload.

Rule 1: If it requires expertise that only you have, you have to do it. You can't delegate these tasks. The good news is these types of tasks are few and far between. Things like key client communications and key presentations, developing the design vision, high-level financial meetings, and a few other specialized tasks need to be reserved for the head honcho. All other tasks can be done by others and should be.

Rule 2: If anyone can do it, delegate it. If a task is easily delegated like answering the phone, organizing the resource library, running errands, picking up or returning samples, researching product price and stock information, ordering memo samples and other straight forward tasks, then the Principal or Senior Designers should never do this unless they don't have a full workload. The reason these tasks are not on your task list is not because you can't do them, or even because you aren't willing to, but because you have so many jobs already. Leave these tasks to personnel whose wage is less expensive for your firm. This likely means hiring an assistant or an intern to help. This can be a part-time job if the workload is low and shouldn't require a high wage.

Rule 3: If a task requires expertise, but can be delegated to the right person, it should be. Now you must determine whether you should hire for these tasks or outsource. These jobs include things like pricing, CAD, sketch up, renderings, creating presentations, making design selections or substitutions, certain client communication, organizing and styling photo shoots, blogging and social media, answering PR requests, and certain client meetings and site visits. Outsourcing can be a great way to keep down payroll expenses, limit benefits costs, and minimize training and management. Outsourcing is an especially great way to stay "lean and mean" and will keep you from facing lay-offs or downsizing if your business slows. Hiring can be great if you have the workload to support the position and you can find the right employees. But remember, hire slow and fire quickly. It is easy to think you need to hire, but hiring the wrong person will likely increase your stress level and decrease your profits.

Rule 4: The Principal decides. There are times the Principal gets to eliminate certain jobs from their task list simply because they want to. When a firm has several employees on staff, this allows design firm owners to keep their favorite tasks and delegate others. This is perfectly fine unless a task is highly specialized or would put the firm in jeopardy financially or with a client relationship if mishandled by a less experienced team member.

Rule 5: Hire a great office manager. Most designers complain about being bogged down in management. One of the most important hires for many design firms is a great office manager. By nature most “creatives” aren't great managers, so hiring a person who is, can improve your quality of life and quality of work.

I hope you will use these 5 tips for success with staffing decisions. As a Principal, you likely underestimate your workload and the time your tasks take. If you can use these 5 steps to delegate 60-80 percent of your workload to others, you can always take things back if you find you have idle time. But my experience is that never happens.

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Tobi Fairley is a nationally-acclaimed interior designer based in Little Rock, Arkansas. Named by Traditional Home Magazine as one of the Top 20 Young designers in America in 2009, Tobi’s work has graced the cover of House Beautiful and been published in Traditional Home, Southern Living, and At Home in Arkansas numerous times. Tobi recently launched her own fabric line and will release several other products lines in 2012. Her DIY design service InBox Interiors and her Design Camps have been wildly successful. Tobi recently launched Tobi Fairley and Associates, a consulting group dedicated to helping firms with the business of design. She also blogs at Tobi's Blog.

Photo credit: © 2011 Tobi Fairley Interior Design