Differences between working in a large company and a small one.

RobertoMoir

For me the worst one is where a company has grown (or shrunk) sharply and its being managed as if it was one type of company when in fact its another. Once a company gets above a certain size, its totally inefficient to manage it as if it was still a small company, for example.

paddyrg

I have worked in both sizes, small can be suffocating without many progression opportunities whilst big can be impersonal and bureaucratic.

Corporate culture is more important than size - I worked for some biggies where any request for information from a colleague had to go through management all the way up to a common manager, then back down the chain. Yet I worked for another REALLY famous IT company where the culture expected you to contact anyone anywhere who had the info you needed. Very different attitudes.

Mischa8

MissSarah1972 wrote: »

There is or course in smaller companies if you are of sick or on holiday your work is still on your desk to do when you get back therefore not really getting a paid holiday as you have to work twice as hard and take stuff home or work late to get it all done compared to some parge companies where the work is split between the team when people are not in equalling it all out or the supervisor does it.

This can still happen in larger companies that work isn't covered if you're off sick/on holiday. Not every company gets temps in and depending on departmental workloads some companies leave work for a day or so if you're off sick depending on the role etc.

Actually in my very small company - us legal secretaries often had to cover for the other (2 of us) and worked by ourselves with no cover for ages. then my boss's workload got heavier and we now employ a *temp* but she used to work for my boss's old company. She doesn't come in every day we're on annual leave as she works part time but she covers every other day. It works for us as we get work out.

MissSarah1972

Mischa8 wrote: »

This can still happen in larger companies that work isn't covered if you're off sick/on holiday. Not every company gets temps in and depending on departmental workloads some companies leave work for a day or so if you're off sick depending on the role etc.

Actually in my very small company - us legal secretaries often had to cover for the other (2 of us) and worked by ourselves with no cover for ages. then my boss's workload got heavier and we now employ a *temp* but she used to work for my boss's old company. She doesn't come in every day we're on annual leave as she works part time but she covers every other day. It works for us as we get work out.

I didn't say temp I said split the work with the rest of the team to get the work done where as I have always come back to work so paid holiday is a not really what it is meant to be.

Mischa8

MissSarah1972 wrote: »

I didn't say temp I said split the work with the rest of the team to get the work done where as I have always come back to work so paid holiday is a not really what it is meant to be.

aww diddums - so you have to split/share work with the rest of the team to get the work done? never heard of team work have we?

what do you think I did before we got temps in??!! magic fairies didn't do our work overnight. you have to work as a team.

MissSarah1972

Mischa8 wrote: »

aww diddums - so you have to split/share work with the rest of the team to get the work done? never heard of team work have we?

what do you think I did before we got temps in??!! magic fairies didn't do our work overnight. you have to work as a team.

What are you on about? Please read what I put!

I am talking about in a SMALL co NO ONE splits the work and you have to do double when you get back hence me saying paid holiday for me was not as I had to do MY work when I got back meaning there wasy no team work! No one had cover at all when they were off.

Team work does not happen in a lot of small co's as the teams are too small to take on extra work.

And no I have never worked for a co where a temp was called in either hence doing it all when you return to work, get it?

Hezzawithkids

[QUOTE=falko89;56838495
Small companies seem to have better working conditions, going out for a quick fag or having a coffee was no big deal, in a large company going to the toilet outside of breaks earns you a look of utter contempt.[/QUOTE]

Really? I mean, really?

I've worked for all sort of organisations from SME (less than 5 people) to massive (more than 10,000 people) and all points in between. After 30+ years in the workforce I can categorically state that big organisations win it for me every time. I fell part of a great team but can make myself invisible when I need to just by walking to a different part of the building. I like having the comfort of a sound infrastructure, from the IT systems support to having someone else clean the loo. From having tea & coffee on tap to not having to remember to pick up a pint of milk on my way into work. From having a well known brand name on my cv to not having to ration printer supplies. And so so... just no contest IMHO.