Are Smaller Companies Better to Work for? I've Become so Angry working in this Large Organisation.

[Horrace]

I've worked for a large bank/finance company for almost 29 yrs. Have mostly enjoyed it. But in recent years they have tried so hard to get with the times that it's gone overboard.
They celebrate everything and do everything in their power to make us celebrate with them whether we believe in it or not. And if we don't, well, you guessed it, we get pulled up on it for not sharing the banks values.
It's not just the company, it's the world in general. I've become an angry person and I want to get off.

I don't want to get into an argument about me being a dinosaur. I just want to go to work and do my work. I don't want to celebrate or be constantly reminded about every religious festival, pronoun day etc.

I still need to work.

Would a smaller company be more inclined to leave their employees to have their own political views and allow them to just get on with work.
It's a massive decision. But I'm so miserable and frustrated when I am. But it's all I've known.
Any advice is appreciated

I worked for a small company for 7 years and it was dreadful. I was the first person they'd hired that wasn't a family friend and it showed given the treatment I had in comparison to others. The owners son was a bully and he made me cry in front of a new colleague, he then went straight to his mother (the boss) saying I was refusing to work (was in the loo crying because of him) and she wouldn't accept my explanation. They were also awful over my return to work after Mat leave, they allowed me no flexibility but the sons best mate was allowed to work from home whenever you wanted to help out with his 2 year old.

I think this really depends on the company , systems, funding and style of ownership/management- Im now 62 and we have our own business but it's a division of a company with about 25 people- we still have Xmas party ( good one) , summer party, and it's close knit but none of the woo stuff. The disadvantage is if you don't like anyone it's hard to escape them , benefits are fewer and there isn't usually an HR function- advantages are you often have a more varied role, more responsibility and can say what you think easier

I think if I have read your later comments correctly you have decided to stay put. Which seems the least worst option you can take. Starting anywhere new may mean last in first out if things are bad, and yes as noted the mercy of no real HR and all the internal politics of family run businesses or those of a similar size.

Learn to ignore reminders about celebrating certain days/months etc, perhaps also make no big deal at work about any that you do wish to celebrate in return.

Most posters have understood completely the post of this post apart from you but I'll try to explain again. But also it's not just the celebrations and awareness days, weeks, months. It's the whole values thing which aren't corporate values but the boards personal values that they try to push.
Anyway. This last week we have had the following:
Various religious days which I don't give a shit about as fuck all to do with finance, Adhd, breast cancer, coming out day and there is the one that broke this camels back, still born baby awareness day.

Hi OP, I am at a similar stage of life, have a teen, elderly mum and a very well paid job in the tech industry.

It is full of idiots but what I would say is the "gender" pay gap concerns most large corps have is our opportunity, they need us to change the scores basically.

I think when I hit menopause I was so fed up and angry with the constant shit I was ready to give up. But, what I ended up doing was pushing through it. Organised my life better went on HRT (actually the testosterone was the game changer for my brain) and fully switched back on ...got promoted etc

I guess my point is you can disengage from the shite that gives us the rage (pronouns, celebrating international twat day) and still crack on and have a decent next phase of career.

I'd imagine you have a great pension there too, so I'd try and find a new path there if you can.

I worked in the civil service for many years and I was totally fed up with the numerous projects we were expected to get excited about. We had trees drawn on large pieces of brown paper stuck on the sides of cabinets and if we wanted to thank someone we had to stick a leaf on the tree saying who had done what for us. Like being in nursery school. I recall one day cutting out fluffy clouds for an idiotic project - thinking tax payers would be overjoyed their taxes are being spent in this way. As OP says if you aren't excited you are being negative

I finally had enough and resigned I now work for a small family firm (less than 30 employees split over 2 sites) and we don't have any stupid projects and policies, just get on with our work.

@Horrace are they asking you to do speeches or activities for these days or are they sending emails to celebrate them. It's black history month currently, did the company advertising this anger you?

We have all these days, I just delete the e mails.

If you are not forced to engage, can you just grey rock them?

All these "days", seem to be the replacement of all the charity/going away gifts /maternity gufts/wedding gifts of previous years.

Forcing a collective - no thanks.

Where I work sounds very much the same as OPs for woke bollocks.

I work for a large company and there's constantly a "celebration" going on, recognising some international whatever day, or changing the colour of the company logo in support of some crap. It's all a complete waste of time and the endless emails about it a distraction.

Those of us that haven't specified our pronouns get a twice weekly email explaining how we can update our email signature to include them.

Just bugger off and let me do my job!!!

Generally, I'd say yes but, some small companies tend to have a pyramid of pet favourites that you may notice before long.

Yes, it's all this shite too. It's having to be excited about twattery bollox that I left behind 50 years ago playing pin the tail on the fucking donkey.

We had trees drawn on large pieces of brown paper stuck on the sides of cabinets and if we wanted to thank someone we had to stick a leaf on the tree saying who had done what for us.

Sounds very similar to our online praise system. Submit some praise for someone and it appears on the intranet homepage in a star.

HR were well proud of that system, were banging on about it for months.

Depends on the company, but ours was started by a chap and a couple of his friends, basically his “yes men” - they can do no wrong. Company has done well, now with about 30 staff, but has continued to be run by a closed shop of about 7 friends who everyone else refers to as the Groupies!
they socialise outside of work and are all on salaries + benefits that grossly outweigh their position. I know, I do the company accounts. It’s really insulting what they pay some others, I have to bite my lip, but know others would be shocked.

@Waitfortheguinness yes a lot of that goes on sadly

Honestly the amount of crap that goes on these days in many companies large and small- I once worked as office manager where ringing a bell was involved and standing on a chair if you made a sale- and there was a wall chart of sales in office- I lasted about 6 weeks! It's nursery school behaviour

Sympathies OP. Stay where you are or move to another large company on your own terms. Hope you can find an activity to do outside of work that makes you happy. Even if something small, for now.

I used to work for large corporate multinational (that bought the smaller really nice company, where all the directors knew and respected me for what I did) where I had become just one of a number of many doing similar jobs in different worldwide divisions. Hated it.

Years later & post kids now work for a small business where money isn't as good, but I work far less hours with minimal commute, terms/conditions are fabulous, all the people working here are truly lovely, my work is appreciated and if I need flexibility the owners/management have my back. I prefer to be appreciated over money in pocket.

You need some time for you, recoup and breathe….not always easy we know…..but teenagers can pull their own weight and help with stuff!
Just getting time out in nature can help, do you have somewhere you can go and have a walk, maybe a coffee too…..just you or a relaxed friend?

Above all, you seem to have retained a brilliant sense of humour…..hold onto that…..we need people like you amongst all these twatting numbnuts!

Well I've just taken myself for a walk to my favourite place. The cemetery 🤣. I know it sounds bonkers but it's on my doorstep and it's peaceful. I like walking in the old part where the stones are falling down and they date back to the early 1800s. As I'm walking I'm laughing to myself thinking how I want to be buried with these oldies, the Victorians who are hopefully less bonkers than the modern lot at the top end of the cemetery.
This is what goes through my head 😂

Try and enjoy Black History Month.

I call in sick for that

I’ve worked for a couple of smaller companies that were really easy and let us all just get on with doing our jobs with no drama.

Then both were taken over by huge American corporations and the whole environment was as destroyed. It became very ‘right on’ all about celebrating various causes and becoming allies.

I took voluntary redundancy from the first company because the whole culture became robotic and one size fits all and I spent all day doing admin and box ticking rather than my actual job.

Joined another small local company and it’s history repeating itself except this time it's even worse. The board is all in the US no one ever even visited our office but their entire ethos is ‘because we say so’ - I really feel like I’m too old for this shit. I’ve got nearly 40 years experience in this industry, let me do my job in please without celebrating something every bloody week

Same here but the office manager is on "our side" despite being part of the family. She often stands up to her siblings and in-law for us. There is flexibility and they genuinely care about us. Very few perks although the money and annual leave aren't bad but a lovely atmosphere with no politics - internal or external.

@Horrace you call in sick for the whole black history month?!

Do you hate black people?