Team pages, or the absence thereof

Why is it so rare for web agencies to show their team’s names and contact details?

Of course in some cases, there’s just too many employees to have them all on the website. So the decision is made to only mention the 2 or 3 main players.

And having a Team page means updates when people join, or leave. And the hassle of taking photos too, or drawing illustrations, which need to be consistant etc…

Some may even mention an ego-less ethos. That the agency or company is a sum, an identity, greater than its constituant parts. Pretty debatable, in an industry where talent and experience are the commercial commodity.

So in many cases, it’s undeniable protectionism. Precisely because the company or agency monetarises its staff’s talent, a conscious decision is made to keep them as anonymous as posssible. And so the absence of team information on the site becomes symptomatic of a larger problem.

I strongly believe that staff’s profile, for which they are hired, should be nurtured. Now, not everyone is motivated by peer recognition, or could be bothered with what is required to establish a name for themselves.
But it is nonetheless something which ought to be encouraged by management. Building your staff’s profile can only increase their value. And if they’re happy where they are…well, there’s nothing to fear.
Is there?

To conclude, I thought I’d name and praise some of the Irish, and Northern Irish agencies who go against the grain. Not all show all their staff, but they all show a good few of them.
Perhaps not out of the same convictions, but still.

Brando
Eighty:Twenty
Front
Lightbox
Xwerx