Dear diary: Working for a small vs big company what a contrast - anyone else?

[notbadnotbrad]

Anyone else experience the contrast and did you like it?

Current company is 1/70th the size of former company LOL

First week at former company I had an itinerary with every hour accounted for

Meeting with this team at 10am, intro lunch at this restaurant for 12pm, training at 3pm etc

I start at new firm yesterday and no one even reaches out to me or tells me what to do my first day - literally sat there and just decided to start working snd set up calls with everyone on the team

They told me to go do the job however I want - just produce results

Pros:

- no micro management
- full autonomy
- more responsibility
- work directly with senior management (founders)

Cons

- less pay for 2 x the work
- less of a budget
- no massive company parties and stuff (old company once racked up a 20k pub tab), week long internal conferences at 4 seasons, Christmas parties at the shangri la, happy hours with team ... that’s all done

Dear diary
- less pay for twice the work

[HYDRAE]

I generally have preferred working for larger companies. Tend to be more professional and pay better. Fuk working for a family owned business.

Why in the world would you accept a job with twice the work for less pay?

[mCheech]

Can't hide at a smaller company. Big corporations 10x better in my experience, especially in a software job. More responsibility, less pay, delusions of grandeur that you're important enough to get equity. I fell for that **** in my 20s. Never again.

[MetroBrah]

I'd take a 20% pay cut just for the autonomy alone srs. Hated working for a big company with someone looking over my shoulder. Hate "busy work" created just to make your manager look good. Hated office politics.

Been doing whatever I wanted for the past 5, going on 6 years now. Couldn't even imagine going back

[notbadnotbrad]

I generally have preferred working for larger companies. Tend to be more professional and pay better. Fuk working for a family owned business.

Why in the world would you accept a job with twice the work for less pay?

It’s a better role than at prior company

Essentially a promotion - I’d have to come in at same level I was at previously at a bigger company and do the same role for like 2-3 years I was already doing

So the pay is higher but it’s not as much as it would have been at a bigger company for the same role (but would have taken years to get to that position)

Plus I like the added responsibility

[Masterchieffer]

Just think to yourself, how can we get the most SYNERGY out of this situation?

[DesiredUserphag]

It really depends on the company. I've had sht positions at small and large companies but also awesome positions at small and large companies. Now I work at a massive company which gives me raises/bonuses while also paying more than ever before but it's mostly because my bosses have my back and never micromanage me. Really comes down to what your bosses are like IMO.

[redraider86]

Have experienced that, yes. That pay cut though...wut? I mean, obviously I could go FAANG and make a little more but a 20% cut plus double the work? No thanks toots.

Just think to yourself, how can we get the most SYNERGY out of this situation?

It's really all about balance.

[HangerBaby]

Some of the best friends I've ever had were made working at small companies. Those are the places where your personal touch leaves a mark on the company and it's employees. Sure the decrease in pay sucks, but the sense of ownership is greater. Of course you could be a big dink hotshot at a large company and drag your balls all over the place getting recognition for it too, but it's less personal there. I currently work at a larger company and enjoy it, but the politics and game of chutes and ladders to accomplish anything meaningful is draining.

[HangerBaby]

major cope

all about your total comp

Maybe if I were a poor like you I'd be concerned, but in my career my lowest salary is still well beyond 6 figures and quite comfortable. No thanks Jeff to min-maxing my salary to make a few pennies more that won't affect my lifestyle

[SSM12]

Team small company crew.

Creates more of a family environment IMO. Id rather send emails to people I have met in person than some random coworker whom I have never really communicated with nor see.

[DynamicDot]

Honestly it just depends on my team/boss. It doesn't matter if it's big or small company to me.

Big companies tend to provide better perks. Small companies tend to be more reserved and more open to your opinions though.

[JoshSP1985]

Work for a sub 500 employee company

It's nice being able to develop personal relationships with people and be able to just go talk to anyone regardless of their position

[DBoyDaRealest]

there are still small companies that rack up massive bar tabs and have parties, you just picked one that doesn't do those

congrats on the new gig

[notbadnotbrad]

Team small company crew.

Creates more of a family environment IMO. Id rather send emails to people I have met in person than some random coworker whom I have never really communicated with nor see.

Well at my old company it was like 25 people (in my dept) all 23-35 who partied together

Will defn miss that chit (ded fkn srs)

It’s very sad

[imbeingcereal]

I'm the opposite actually. I think I'd prefer a smaller company over a large one. I hate the office politics at large companies, plus it's impossible to move up based on "merit" because you work on a very small part of the company/deliverable on average. Therefore, moving up comes down to sucking the right dicks or "perceptions" rather than who gets chit done.

Furthermore, idk what companies you guys are working for but most smaller companies have tended to pay higher base and comparable bonus. The perks are non-existent, which equalizes things a bit, but I don't get the argument that smaller companies necessarily pay less. Yeah, maybe at the highest levels they do, but it's way easier, for example, to be VP or CFO at a smaller company than it is at Google or something.

Ideally, I'd like to work for a pre-IPO or PE backed company where I have equity. That would be the dream

[yeshli2nuts]

I've worked for two companies, both environmental engineering consulting companies:

Current company is ~300 employees across the country, my "office" here in south Florida has 5 local people with some other work-from home employees scattered around. My boss works in NJ. The 5 of us routinely leave the office to do errands, show up at 10, leave at 3, etc. and no one gives a chit. Every few months (before covid) we would get together with the work from home people and do some activity like go to a Dolphins game, Top Golf, boat ride, etc. As a company, the culture is amazing. Every Thursday the CEO sends out an email with personal kudos from coworkers and clients and every Friday she sends another email with an employee highlight, talking all about that particular employee. A couple times a year at least one person from the top corporate team flies around to meet with all the offices, take us out to lunch/happy hour, and shoot the chit with us. I've had many personal convos with the CEO, COO, and founder/chairman, all of whom are so down to earth and personable. The corporate people show up to the office in jeans and polos.

My former company was ~1,500 employees all in the northeast, with my office being the headquarters consisting of 500 employees on four floors of a NYC skyscraper. I only worked there for a year, but throughout the entire year, I never met anyone higher up than my boss's boss (who led our division), even though the entire corporate personnel worked two floors up. The only time I ever even saw the CEO was during the holiday party when he was up on stage giving a speech. Our group NEVER did anything together outside of work. Upper level people all wore suits. Culture sucked. Employees walked around like zombies. No one knew anyone outside of their divisions.

[overtrainbrah]

that previous job...

























































































... she was the best man

[notbadnotbrad]

that previous job...

























































































... she was the best man

Miss it so much man

[atgbrahsrs]

corporate life = death

[RocknRollMuscle]

small companies suck when you get older. You get replaced very fast by younger workers.

why job security and retirement is better for at big companies. esp government.

when ur young? go small companies. Move up fast. When u hit 35, bail to larger companies or youi'll get replaced by young bucks by 50 trust me.

[notbadnotbrad]

corporate life = death

These new guys I’m working with are the opposite of corporate lol

It’s wild

[Perowise]

I went from corporatecell who love this **** to someone who just works minimum requirements (as a project manager) and creeping on the chicks

Thats the real corporate life you should look for

Steretypical 80ies Manager type

[jrmp]

Makes sense only if you like the industry or the job that you are doing.

If you’re not having fun with it, then you’ll double think your daily actions.

I currently switched from a bigger company, to a smaller company , and increase pay, but I feel that I am not in the right industry.
My move was for the title and the experiment and also for the money, but now, i think I should had waited a little more to find something that is more interesting for me.

Btw in in engineering/tech sales

[cadetduke]

Not even going to read. Work for yourself vs anyone else.

[ikepen]

Anyone else experience the contrast and did you like it?

Current company is 1/70th the size of former company LOL

First week at former company I had an itinerary with every hour accounted for

Meeting with this team at 10am, intro lunch at this restaurant for 12pm, training at 3pm etc

I start at new firm yesterday and no one even reaches out to me or tells me what to do my first day - literally sat there and just decided to start working snd set up calls with everyone on the team

They told me to go do the job however I want - just produce results

Pros:

- no micro management
- full autonomy
- more responsibility
- work directly with senior management (founders)

Cons

- less pay for 2 x the work
- less of a budget
- no massive company parties and stuff (old company once racked up a 20k pub tab), week long internal conferences at 4 seasons, Christmas parties at the shangri la, happy hours with team ... that’s all done

Dear diary
- less pay for twice the work

no wonder Mutual Funds charge high fees

[notbadnotbrad]

no wonder Mutual Funds charge high fees

The pub night was at Amsterdam brewery on Lake Ontario

Before the pub night the company legit rented a yacht with all you can drink and eat

[Clockbro]

I was at Marsh for a long time then went to a family run boutique brokerage.

Other than good stock options, the tiny company I work for is better in every metric.