I vote in favor of being direct but businesslike as many have suggested. Tell him what you want done differently. If he agrees, great, keep hiring him. If not, either suck it up as is or move on. He’s never going to be able to read your mind, and “dropping hints” by not hiring him for awhile or taking other passive approaches won’t make him suddenly see the light. This is a business relationship. If he was running a restaurant and your hamburger wasn’t cooked enough, would you send it back, or would you stop showing up for several months in hopes that he would miss you and asks why you haven’t been around when you showed up again? It isn’t much different ... other than the happy ending, of course.