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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think that in general, working for a small business is crap

48 replies

EvoraEvora · 15/06/2015 15:08

out of friends and family, I have never encountered one person who hasn't had problems working for a small business ( by small I mean the set up of owners+ less than 10 workers.)

thoughts?

OP posts:

smartiesaretheanswers · 15/06/2015 15:09

I agree with you.

I work for a small family run business and am currently having problems with a colleague yet my boss refuses to do anything about it. We have no HR department or manager, the company owner is my boss.

someonestolemynick · 15/06/2015 15:10

I worked for a snal business before setting up my own.

Loved it. My boss was amazing and a huge inspiration for me to set up on my own.

NRomanoff · 15/06/2015 15:11

It depends. I own a small company, we and our 1 member of staff love it. Maybe there will be problems when we get more. I have worked for big and small companies and found the large companies worse. Small companies, in my experience, value the individual more. Maybe I have been lucky that the small companies i worked for have all been fab

someonestolemynick · 15/06/2015 15:11

Sorry for autocorrect.

MsRyanGosling · 15/06/2015 15:11

My DP works for a small business - there's just him and one other worker and the boss whose wife also works there part time.

No one else can do DP's job so booking annual leave etc is always begrudged.

He is off on paternity leave next week for 2 weeks which has left a sour taste even though it's obv a happy event for us.

I wish we had thought longer and harder about shared leave just to piss them off.

someonestolemynick · 15/06/2015 15:13

I can see how it can go wrong though. I was very lucky.

EustaciaBenson · 15/06/2015 15:13

Totally agree, last week the director threatened to sack one of my colleagues for asking for a review, I put up with so much bullshit that would never happen in a big business for less money and with less benefits. Im currently job hunting

ShaynePunim · 15/06/2015 15:15

I work for a small company and I love it.

We have no HR, but I love the 'non-corporate' feel of the office. The atmosphere is really relaxed and fun.

But I suppose we are lucky that we've never had any issues to make me wish we had HR etc...

eggyface · 15/06/2015 15:21

small businesses have a lot less red tape, fewer timesheets, stupid corporate acronyms. I like them better. If you're happy there, your colleague are probably people you like (as if you don't like someone you're so close with in the office you'd probably leave fairly early on). I found I was prouder of my role and achievements at the smaller company I worked for. Anything we wanted to do for our clients was allowed. At bigger companies there's much more computer-says-no / senior idiots feeling the need to have a view on your work etc.

MrsTrentReznor · 15/06/2015 15:27

Hated it. Never ever again.
I struggled to get my days off and holiday, I was expected to do way over my official duties for the love of it, no support at all, expected to lie and cover up when they had a H&S inspection and then made redundant with non existent consultation. (Around the time the boss got a brand new Audi)
I hope they fail and end up destitute. I nearly did when they got rid of me. I left a stable job to join their "family". Tossers.
Oops! Rant alert!
I now work for an international company with thousands of employees and I love it! I currently have a holiday problem. One call to HR and it's all sorted.

Mistigri · 15/06/2015 15:32

Obviously it depends on the owner but if things go wrong, you often have no one to turn to.

My DH worked for a small company importing small off road vehicles from China. Boss a complete madman, turned out to be a nasty bully and crook too. When eventually called out on it (by me - none of the employees dared - but he had forged my DH's signature on a legal document and that was the final straw) he turned up on our doorstep on Christmas Eve to harangue me!

I know a few people who've had similarly unpleasant experiences working for small companies. I'm sure there are plenty of good small companies but it's the rogues that you tend to remember.

CommanderShepard · 15/06/2015 15:33

I love it, personally. Minimal bureaucracy and the reaction when I announced my pregnancy has been unfailingly supportive, unlike when I worked for a multinational.

AliMonkey · 15/06/2015 15:37

Am currently working in small business having spent all my previous working life at big business. Downside is no one to do the admin tasks, can't get away from any colleagues you dislike, office is too quiet, little in house training, if boss in bad mood it affects everyone. Upside is no endless layers of management to wade through to get a decision on anything, ability to influence most things or at least get your voice heard. So neither is automatically bad, just different.

EvansOvalPiesYumYum · 15/06/2015 15:42

DP and I have been a small business for 10 years and we have one employee who has been with us for eight and a half yrs. We treat him very well indeed, and in return he is loyal, trustworthy and hardworking. I assume if he wasn't happy, he would have either mentioned it before now, or left.

I've worked for both large and small companies, and as Ali says, it's just different, they both have their pros and cons

NinkyNonkers · 15/06/2015 15:43

Yes in our experience, sadly!

vaticancameos · 15/06/2015 15:45

I run a small business and am completely flexible for my employees. I'm a parent myself so know how tough it can be juggling. It's really important for me for everyone to be happy.

emwithme · 15/06/2015 15:49

It's either wonderful, or it's fucking horrendous. There isn't ever an in-between, like there is with most jobs.

misscupcakes · 15/06/2015 15:50

I love working in small businesses. HATE working in family businesses.

EvansOvalPiesYumYum · 15/06/2015 15:51

Surely if a job is horrendous, you just find another and leave?

Legionofboom · 15/06/2015 15:52

The best jobs I have ever had have been for small businesses. Not all are great by any means but I know plenty of people who hate working for multinationals. It depends on the company itself I think.

Legionofboom · 15/06/2015 15:54

It's either wonderful, or it's fucking horrendous

I would agree with this. Maybe it is because the impact of everyone's personality (especially the owner's) is so intense when there are only a handful of people there.

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 15/06/2015 15:57

I absolutely love it. I'm 48 and I've spent my entire working life in a variety of multinational (household name) companies, till 5 years ago when I became the 10th employee in a local business. It was a bit ic a culture shock but it's been absolutely brilliant, really relaxed, minimal bureaucracy, hours to suit me, no performance appraisals unless you want them, holidays whenever, no need to ring in if you're going to be late, it's blissful.

Not many opportunities for development, travel etc though. However our business is subject to external changes which are enough to keep me moving and developing for the foreseeable future.

daisychain01 · 15/06/2015 15:57

In my career I have worked for a blue chip corporate for many years (current) and before that worked for two companies of less than 30 people.

On balance I like a big company

Follow HR process more transparently
IT infrastructure and support is great
People are very professional. Generally sexism or bullying is widely frowned on and dealt with correctly
Can take leave as long as booked in good time
Very good emotional bereavement and sickness support.
opportunities to move round the company

Very little of this was available to me in the smaller companies I worked for.

daisychain01 · 15/06/2015 16:00

On the downside I doubt anyone cares if I am happy or not!

Original poster

EvoraEvora · 15/06/2015 16:06

interesting responses

I work for a small company and am incredibly frustrated, top of the list is issues with leave, for the past few years I have been unable to take my full allowance as there is always an issue with not enough staff to cover etc.

and I feel like I'm dedicated a lot of energy to earn less than a living wage..

I guess partly it comes down to personality, I feel uncomfortable with how the job has taken over my life, but I enjoy the work so it's a bit of a dilemma...

OP posts:

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