Integrating Crafting and Gathering. Ideas?

[Solarra]

I would love to have my own workshop with employees to reduce annoying steps like craft 20 hq ingots for example

Oh please, no!
When WoW introduced this type of thing I lost all interest in crafting in that game. I hated both options, either putting an order in and then having to wait until the next day (or whenever it was) or watching my character stand around in the workshop like a lemon while an NPC crafted for me.
I've no experience of SWG but nothing I read in that link really excites me or makes me feel that is what crafting in FF is missing.

I'm not entirely happy with the direction it went with in HW, but crafting in FFXIV is still fun and engaging. Making it something that happens 'offstage' or disconnected from your character feels like entirely the wrong direction to go.
There's quicksynth for the dull stuff; you can go make a cup of tea while that's going on if you don't want to sit and watch it, that's enough for me.


OP: Sorry, no real suggestions for you. I actually don't mind gathering and crafting as they are, although I agree about the grind. It felt excessive in HW, and compared to ARR, levelling both crafting and gathering was fairly painful (I started playing in HW so I didn't have the best gear or tools). I really struggled to level from 50 to 52 and it felt like there was no real catch up for crafters and gatherers who hadn't got their Lucis tools and the best ARR gear. In contrast the battleclass gear was so good, levelling my main was a breeze.
I sincerely hope that Stormblood doesn't continue with the horrendous amount of materials needed to make as single item, like an ingot or piece of lumber or continue putting levelling materials onto hidden or timed nodes. Specialisation needs a thorough overhaul too. But beyond that, I've no real issues.

TLDR I don't really feel the 'disconnect' between gathering and crafting that you are feeling.