Ask HN: How to be nice to contractors that are terrible

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8863282

by hmottestad • 12 years ago

2 8 12 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

Hi,

I'm wondering how you manage to stay nice and humble when faced with a contractor who makes terrible solutions?

In general I'm overly negative. Especially when the contractor is big, and when I feel I could make a 10x solution if I was just given the time?

Also I'm terribly negative to companies like IBM and Microsoft. Especially since my Outlook crashes multiple times a day (seg fault).

How do manage to continue to be a "nice person" in such situations?

EDIT: To be clear. These are software vendors/contractors delivering off the shelf solutions and custom solutions that I feel would have given very low grades if delivered at college/uni.

opless3• 12 years ago

Obvious answer: Tiny companies/Individual contractors (aka temporary workers/consultants/etc) terminate their contracts immediately.

For larger companies you lawyer up and negotiate restitution as per the contract with them.

Longer answer: You generally get contractors in when you are resource-poor but have the budget for it. The obvious solution is take the development in-house. In real life the answer apparently to get contractors in and deal with the fallout later.

TLDR: Don't be a nice person, you're in business to get a defined goal completed. "Being Nice" doesn't come into it. "Being Fair" is a different matter though.

tzm• 12 years ago

I think "being nice" can go farther than you think.

opless3• 12 years ago

Being nice and being fair are two different things that often get mixed up.

Often being nice is seen as weakness, and attracts people who expects that kind of niceness which warps expectations, and you might as well tear up that contract because of it.

Being fair, ensures that both parties are getting what they asked for within the limitations of said contract.

hmottestad• 12 years ago

We pretty much have to work with them (our contractors/vendors), can't just jump ship.

I want to be nice to them, even when I don't like what they are delivering. Being nice should be for everyones good, to inspire them and to make them feel better and to help me feel better.

And with regards to lawyering up, that's probably just going to make things worse. Our contracts aren't good enough to withstand that kind of trashing, and it's not going to help the projects I'm working on to get completed within the time-frame anyway.

opless3• 12 years ago

As I was trying to get over, you need to be fair. Not nice.

You'll have to (probably?) step outside your comfort zone and be assertive so your vendors deliver what you ask of them in a timely manner.

You're their customer, you're not there to help them feel better or inspire them. If you're the one that signs off their timesheets/customer acceptance reports/etc then you're the guy/gal that sets the expectation for them.

Be consistent with them and be firm about behaviour you don't like. Of course reward occasionally but appropriately (ie outstanding work, etc). But at the end of the day their reward is a paid invoice.

As for the lawyering up, sometimes you need to, often you don't ... lawyers are there generally to avoid litigation (expensive/messy) not cause it.

JSeymourATL• 12 years ago

How do I manage to continue to be a "nice person" in such situations?

Civility is a most desirable management trait. So is effectively monitoring a contractors process, progress, and results.

The contractor deserves to understand your expectations and receive prompt clear feedback. Focus on the metrics/measures without getting too personal.

Someone1234• 12 years ago

Especially since my Outlook crashes multiple times a day (seg fault).

Check your RAM, check your system for overheating, and check for addons (e.g. COM+ based) that may be interacting with Outlook. Cannot reproduce the issue.

logn• 12 years ago

Hold them to their specs, to their agreements, etc. If you see work done that it sub-par, send out emails explaining your analysis and make sure your manager is aware. Everything in writing helps.

Also take on the mindset that as an employee you're there to own the product. The contractors are temporarily there to help but might not care at all about quality or consequences.

You only need to be courteous and professional. You're the customer here, and being upset and complaining if you didn't receive what you bought is expected. You shouldn't be nice and kind to someone who's ripping you off, yet being mean or rude is wrong and counterproductive (unless you're the one who actually hired or is responsible for these contractors in which case it's a judgment call).

Ask HN: How to be nice to contractors that are terrible

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