Working for a small company?

StevenB12

Hey guys, hope you are all well.

I need some advice as in two minds as to what to do. I've been offered a supervisor position for a small utility company, me a long with 4 other staff and the 2 owners. They've been in business about a year and have various work coming up. I'm currently in a medium size business of about 300 employees across the board with guaranteed contracts etc.

I'll be on better money at the new job but a bit less certainty over sustainability. Has anyone had good positives of moving to a small company etc?

Thanks 

Savvy_Sue

There are positives both ways, but when you say 'utility company' - do you mean a supplier of gas and electricity? Because in the current market, I wouldn't go to a small company if I could avoid it ... 

StevenB12

Savvy_Sue said:

There are positives both ways, but when you say 'utility company' - do you mean a supplier of gas and electricity? Because in the current market, I wouldn't go to a small company if I could avoid it ... 

Thanks for your reply. No, sorry, I should have put a bit more info. It's a drainage utility company, so street works, installing drainage etc then work for the local water authority which is sort of a plus at the moment, but not always a guarantee route of work.

Marcon

StevenB12 said:

Hey guys, hope you are all well.

I need some advice as in two minds as to what to do. I've been offered a supervisor position for a small utility company, me a long with 4 other staff and the 2 owners. They've been in business about a year and have various work coming up. I'm currently in a medium size business of about 300 employees across the board with guaranteed contracts etc.

I'll be on better money at the new job but a bit less certainty over sustainability. Has anyone had good positives of moving to a small company etc?

Thanks 

Rather depends why you want to move - to get away from your present job, or to go to this one? It's a tiny company, so if. you plan to stay any length of time, you might think about whether there is any chance for career progression. Is the company well funded? What's the business plan for the short, medium and long term? On the other hand, if you see it as a stepping stone, those factors may be less important.

MalMonroe

Money isn't everything.

Just some questions that occur to me -

Is the new job more interesting or challenging?
Are you happy where you are?
Would you miss your job if you left?
Would you have to work more or fewer hours?
Would you be able to get another job if the new business folded?
 
Also, I feel that if you were happy about accepting the new job, you wouldn't be asking a bunch of strangers on this forum what they thought. 

You probably know the answer already.

TELLIT01

It's impossible to simply suggest "Small good, big bad" or the reverse.  There are good and bad in both categories, and I've worked for both!

MovingForwards

I've always worked for big companies, my last few roles were public sector and I never adapted to how restrictive it was. I was used to having perks with my different roles from medical insurance, block car insurance, discounts on services, extra holidays, bonuses, decent sick pay etc.

I took a punt and a paycut with a small company, about 3x the amount of employees as yours and had been established for a very long time. I had a good feeling about the company when researching them and couldn't shake off the urge that I had to work for them.

The first few weeks I didn't feel stable and worried about passing my probation, whether the company still had staying power and if it would suddenly fold and how I'd financially cope on SSP if my health turned (I have a mortgage), but I never lost that urge of having to work at this particular company.

It's a few months later and I look back thinking I was a t1t for worrying as I'm not going anywhere and there's so many nice things they do for the staff; Christmas presents, lunches, asking all of us how we are, driving staff into work / home if their car is off the road / they're unable to drive for a while. Most of all they have been the only company who have put in reasonable adjustments for me without being asked. 

None of us can make the decision for you, that's a hard ones you need to make for yourself. Weigh up the pros and cons of each, hopefully the decision will become clear.

StevenB12

Marcon said:

StevenB12 said:

Hey guys, hope you are all well.

I need some advice as in two minds as to what to do. I've been offered a supervisor position for a small utility company, me a long with 4 other staff and the 2 owners. They've been in business about a year and have various work coming up. I'm currently in a medium size business of about 300 employees across the board with guaranteed contracts etc.

I'll be on better money at the new job but a bit less certainty over sustainability. Has anyone had good positives of moving to a small company etc?

Thanks 

Rather depends why you want to move - to get away from your present job, or to go to this one? It's a tiny company, so if. you plan to stay any length of time, you might think about whether there is any chance for career progression. Is the company well funded? What's the business plan for the short, medium and long term? On the other hand, if you see it as a stepping stone, those factors may be less important.

Chances of progression are slightly higher. The interview or career plan here is a few years as supervisor before moving into an office role, hopefully. Business plan short term is to keep the contracts they have, long term will be to build on this, expand the business and employees etc and equipment. The potential is there but being at the start of something is new to me so I may see the enthusiasm more than the realism

StevenB12

MovingForwards said:

I've always worked for big companies, my last few roles were public sector and I never adapted to how restrictive it was. I was used to having perks with my different roles from medical insurance, block car insurance, discounts on services, extra holidays, bonuses, decent sick pay etc.

I took a punt and a paycut with a small company, about 3x the amount of employees as yours and had been established for a very long time. I had a good feeling about the company when researching them and couldn't shake off the urge that I had to work for them.

The first few weeks I didn't feel stable and worried about passing my probation, whether the company still had staying power and if it would suddenly fold and how I'd financially cope on SSP if my health turned (I have a mortgage), but I never lost that urge of having to work at this particular company.

It's a few months later and I look back thinking I was a t1t for worrying as I'm not going anywhere and there's so many nice things they do for the staff; Christmas presents, lunches, asking all of us how we are, driving staff into work / home if their car is off the road / they're unable to drive for a while. Most of all they have been the only company who have put in reasonable adjustments for me without being asked. 

None of us can make the decision for you, that's a hard ones you need to make for yourself. Weigh up the pros and cons of each, hopefully the decision will become clear.

Yeah it's sort of similar here from what I'm told. You get your birthday as a paid day off etc, Christmas bonus and so on. At my current place you don't get sick pay etc of you're off you're off unless you go on statuary sick etc.

But as I said first time at a small company etc so it's trying to weigh up the pros and cons off other people's experiences especially people who have mainly worked at larger companies 

Doshwaster

There are lots of plus and minuses for small, medium and large companies.  Some people work better in start-ups while others fit better in corporate environments.

Larger companies tend to be more financially stable and have internal opportunities to change roles but there is often a lot of corporate bureaucracy and you are just a line on a spreadsheet.

Small businesses can only be one bad quarter from disaster but if you can build a good team then just about anything is possible. Maybe not so good if you like to keep your head down and be anonymous.

Personally, 50-100 people is my ideal size. Big enough to have some stability but small enough for everyone to know everyone else.

directdebiter

Yeah I agree with the above. Corporate employees are just a number and have your annual appraisal, 2% pay rise etc etc. It fits people who need structure. Small companies can work really well for flexibility and being a key part of success - but it depends on the owners of the company really and how they value their staff as the company culture and rewards usaully os representative of the owners. Try and speak to current staff and get a feel from meeting the owners of how they value staff, value progressioon and reward hard work.