Do you prefer working for small or large companies? Why?

[Double J]

I posted a thread earlier in the week regarding why people might take issue with introverts/quiet employees. I wanted to probe into the topic a bit deeper.

 

Do you think a small company befits an introvert more than a large corporation?

 

Which personality type do you fall under and what has been your experience working for a company of either size?

 

From what I've heard and read, quiet people/introverts are more apt to work for a small business, where they're less likely to feel overwhelmed by the number of employees, structure (fewer events and meetings) and other factors.

 

Do you agree? What have your experiences been like?

[HouseKitten]

I would guess I am more of an introvert than an extrovert. I have worked for two large retail companies, and I have also worked for two small branches of larger companies. The small branches had around 8-15 people working there on average whereas the large companies had over a hundred.

 

On the one hand, I do feel in the smaller branches, I've felt like more of a person than just an employee. Especially in my current place of work, everyone knows each other and we're quite closely knit. But in the small branch I worked in a few years ago, for a different company, although it was smaller it was also harder to feel comfortable because it was already a tight-knit group when I joined. Perhaps in a larger company, you're more likely to meet people you click with whereas in smaller ones, it's the same people all day every day. So you have to get lucky with who you end up working with.

[Capricorn3]

I'm the quiet type too, more introverted than extrovert. I have worked in both large companies and small and I worked well in both with no problem. I do prefer smaller, but if the job happens to be with a larger company, that's okay with me.

[lavenderdove]

Every company has its own unique culture, regardless of the size of the company. So size alone won't determine your experience with the company.

 

When you interview, you need to ask questins about the company's value system. What kind of perks do they have for their employees? How flexible are they? What do they determine reviews, salary increases, promotions? Do they have flex time, or allow people to work from home sometimes? How much overtime is expected? What size group/team will you be working on? What is the composition of the time, how many women/men/older/younger/nationalities etc.

 

Research shows that whether people are happy in a job or not is most influenced by their relationship with their boss. If they like their boss and get along and agree with their style of leadership, they are happy. You can work for a great company, but if your boss is a jerk your life will be hell.

 

So try on the interview to find out as much as you can about your boss and the immediate working environment and what their expectations are. Even better, try to meet some of the team. If you hit it off with them, then chances are you'll be happy. But if the boss seems remote, unfriendly, overly controlling or whatever makes you uncomfortable when you interview, odds are good you won't be happy there.

[BriarRose]

Bigger is better. Better benes and more room for advancement. The extrovert/introvert thing is not relevant to that.

[BriarRose]

Oh- just to add, a "small" company is legally defined as less than 50 people..so when I say bigger, I mean at least bigger than 50 people (you can't even take FMLA if your employer has less than 50 people).

[renaissancewoman101]

I like bigger companies, better benefits, more opportunities to rise up or change departments, and probably a lesser likelihood that company will fold.

[metrogirl]

I work for a large company, 10,000 employees. I like the stability of my job, the benefits and the opportunities the company affords us to move up should we choose to do so.

[renaissancewoman101]

A lot of small companies seem to be run on a "wing and a prayer"

[Anthropic]

I've found larger companies to be better for an introvert. Small companies that I've worked for have had a pretty close knit team, which basically forces you to interact with everyone. In a large company your just a cog in the machine, company events and large meetings are not as stressful because of the number of people. Everyone is pretty much faceless and the expectation for participation is lower. This makes it easier for me anyway, with my particular brand of introvert-ism.

 

That said, once you get over the hump of getting to know everyone in a small company, the environment can't be beat. That's why I prefer working for small companies and start-ups. That and I actually like the instability, the feeling of flying by the seat of your pants and carving out your own destiny. I'm masochistic that way.

 

The real test of a good work environment though, is to see what happens when things start circling the drain. I've been involved in many troubled and failed companies, big and small. When it hit's the fan, small companies get drawn closer together and everyone looks out for everyone else. In a big company, you're subject to the whims of the executives on high, and I swear, the tighter things get the stupider the policy changes. Everyone is looking to bail, that is if you haven't already been let go for whatever reason.

[thejigsup]

I work for both. One job is with a large educational organization with several campuses and over 1,000 employees. I love it there! Small law office owned by my bf, it's okay but I miss having a lot of people to socialize with after hours or for lunch. Mainly, it's just him and me. I am an extrovert and do well in both settings, but I generally prefer large businesses for so many reasons.