One size doesn’t fit all

Small, medium or large? Everyone prefers a certain size of company to work for. It may take a few years working at organizations of various sizes to find your niche workplace because each has its advantages and disadvantages.

Let’s start with the large companies, which I define as having more than 500 employees in one location, usually as part of a large conglomerate. Here, you’re just a number, except to the people you work closely with. Typically, you work in a specified area, do a specified job and rarely venture to other areas.

You are usually paid more than your counterparts at smaller companies, receive the best benefits and have more opportunity for advancement. There are in-house training programs specific to the company’s needs, but they benefit you as well. If you call in sick or are otherwise off, chances are excellent the facility will not miss you, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

The closest I came to that scenario was when I worked for a steel supplier with about 20 facilities and 2,400 employees nationally. The facility in Chicago where I worked employed more than 600 people. I rarely ventured from my department unless invited, but the opportunities for advancement were limitless, the pay was excellent and the benefits were terrific. The company regularly conducted training programs and assessment programs. The latter were used to help promote from within, which was regularly done. I don’t know what I was thinking when I left except “the grass is always greener on the other side.”

Medium-size companies include companies with 100 to 500 employees. At these closer-knit organizations you have good benefits, good pay scales, opportunity for advancement, but not as many in-house training programs. You also get to know a lot of the people there.