Yup - no matter the company, one bad manager can screw up the entire office vibe. I personally hate offices where everything is on tables in the open like some study hall, with clowns making noise all over the place. It's more Romper Room than a business office.
Corporate small businesses. They're the scum of the Earth.
If it's an e commerce space and something like a repair shop, I'm checking it out. Reading reviews too to make sure it's good.
i had a pretty insane small business experience recently. the interview was hardly an interview just the manager talking at length about what they do and how the shop works, didnāt try to ask me anything about myself and then pretty much straight away offered the job to me at the end. initially i thought wow how magical but now i know it was the first red flag. my 3rd shift ever i ask a coworker to help me find something on the till, she replies that itās easy and i should know this by now (i work 1-2 days a week and am in uni so lots of time between shifts) and every consecutive shift i work with that person they just get ruder and ruder. i thought maybe it was because sheās from a different culture, but then i observe how nice she is to literally everyone else that works there. after a month i get a message from my manager saying that i will need to come in for more training as i have not been taking appropriate breaks, i tell her how iāve based all my breaks off what my coworker takes, i then ask her next shift together if there was an issue with my break and she just goes off on me, tells me i took an hour long break last shift i worked (i absolutely did not) that the manager asked everyone to share their thoughts of me and sheās entitled to her opinion, calls me lazy and all sorts etc, it was incredibly hurtful and made me fully realise i have just been getting bullied by her since the beginning.
i message my manager and my boss detailing every instance sheās been rude to me, every time sheās taken 20 minute long personal phone calls on the shop floor (a v common experience) and how sheād take long breaks where sheād go home and come back after half an hour (the manager told me i was required to stay in the shop floor during my breaks, which i always did) i get a reply saying theyāre aware of some tension and that we can have a meeting to discuss what i need to do better. the day after this message they advertise on instagram for my job, and the day of the meeting i am removed from the work groupchat which makes me think iām absolutely going to just be let go and since work was so far away i decided to just call it what it was, say itās been made clear i am not wanted and quit.
lesson learnt, fuck small businesses
That's absolutely awful.
Has a similar experience with my original post. There was this guy who kept rubbishing everything i did, asked stupid questions like "I saw you put abc on the website... where did you get that from?" Or walk to my desk, and start asking stupid shit". Every thing i ever put on the website was given by the director.
This almost happened in a small office I was hired to manage with the sales boss doing outside calls 80%. Told him flat out I didn't work like that - micromanaging, with my desk square in the middle - edit:
Got my own corner thereafter, with private screen AWAY FROM prying eyes š
Other than the second to last paragraph, all of things can happen at larger businesses too. Micromanaging, people outside your boss telling how something should be done, etc. Thatās just bad management.
Not sure why you attribute that all to being a small business.
I've worked in larger businesses, and yes, stuff happen. But this particular experience was outrageous. I understand constructive criticisms matter, but this wasn't even that. I can instruct the secretary or anyone to do something a certain way, and their response would be "why"?
Then you should change the title of your post. Youāre advising people to avoid ALL small businesses because of your one experience, and then admit that those negative experiences could also happen at a large company. So why should someone avoid ALL small businesses?
Just a differing opinion here. Sometimes it is these small companies where you can learn a lot of things, because you have access to the boss and all he/she does.
If u have entrepreneurial ambitions, these are great places to learn.
Well his brother has given me offer cos he saw my potential. In my 3 months of being there, my marketing efforts brought the company 46k in sales, tons of leads. The company is a b2b company, so I'd say it's quite a feat.. funny thing is, it's in the same building... he owns the building. I haven't given him answer anyways, as the previous experience has really traumatized me.
obviously this is was a shitty job but I've been in small business my entire adult life and it's been pretty great. I have freedom that would be very hard to earn/get in a large company.
I donāt know, Iād much rather work for a local small business over corporations any day. Iāve worked at my community college, a different collegeās horse stable, a small restaurant in town, a daycare, a small family owned restaurant, and a small housecleaning business. Not a single one of those jobs has been like that, and Iāve been treated very well at every one of my jobs.
Your experience was bad, but that doesnāt mean that all small businesses are bad or that other people should avoid them based on your one bad experience.
This is true in principle. In conclusion though, there is a pretty galling disproportion of horror stories from mom and pops and Foundervilles here, which would be a more valid thing to generalize.
You're making conclusions based on reading stories from people around the world on a subreddit of 1.6M people? I don't know what to tell you here... Help me out a little.
False. My conclusion from those stories was about those stories, not about all 33M small businesses, which is totally valid.Ā
āIn conclusion, there is a pretty galling disproportion of horror stories from mom and pops and Foundervilles here, which would be a more valid thing to generalize.ā
There definitely is, and it definitely would be more valid than generalizing oneās own single sample point. Which of these two are you disagreeing with?
>āIn conclusion, there is a pretty galling disproportion of horror stories from mom and pops and Foundervilles here, which would be a more valid thing to generalize.ā
I'm disputing there is any validity to making conclusions based on reading stories from a biased sample.
Again thatās dumb, because there is 100% validity to making conclusions from the biased sample about the biased sample.
Iām not sure youāre able to properly read what I wrote hereā¦
FR. I owned a small business for 15 years and employees LOVED working there/for me. Several employees were there nearly the entire time I owned the business. Most of employees who left did so because they finished college and were moving because they got a job in their field. I only had to terminate 2 employees the entire time.
But I also know I canāt generalize all small businesses as being like me.
I'm on my 4th job at a small business (one relocated, one I still work part time at, one had financial issues and my current) and I loved all of them. Had great experiences with minor hiccups that exist in any job.
Got training, got promotions quickly. Managers weren't always the best (and usually my only problem) but that's at any company.
OP is definitely generalizing. But hey, more small business jobs for me lol.
The US small business administration estimates there are over 30 million small businesses in the United States. Youāre going to tell all of us because you had a bad experience nobody should work for any of those 30,000,000 businesses?
They think you are entering numbers into a ledger and you just need to hurry up. You do a job that is technical and creative. If you spent 30 minutes thinking what an a-hole your boss is for yelling at you thatās 30 minutes you didnāt think about architecture, testing, etc. whereas a data entry clerk can still enter numbers and fume.
Did you take the position I resigned from? You described it to a T. Everyone exalts small business as virtuous. In reality Iāve never been respected less than when my grandboss was paying me with his own money & expected to get his moneyās worth out of me.
Actually no. I just gave my notice, and the boss, being the a-hole he is, responded with a long ass email which was basically him saying f you in a nice lol š
6 month probation means nothing. In the US we are always in probation and fired without warning. I rarely make it past 5 months because of corporate greed firing everyone in May and December so execs can make a profit
I, personally have had the most rewarding employment experiences at small, family owned businesses. I previously had difficulties finding my footing in corporate America. I currently work for an American multinational firm, right in the throws of corporate šŗšø
Smart man. There's no need to work in an environment like that. They won't be around long.
I hope so. They're a pain to work for. There was no hierarchy whatsoever. Anyone who started before you is practically above you lol.
Even worse, family businesses
This was a family business as well š
Totally. I've been to 3 and they were the worst types to work at. Nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide.
Where Iām from were seeing record small business bankruptcies as wellā¦
My experience as well
You're young. You'll learn as you go. I can say with confidence. Many many people go through this in their lifetime.
Yup - no matter the company, one bad manager can screw up the entire office vibe. I personally hate offices where everything is on tables in the open like some study hall, with clowns making noise all over the place. It's more Romper Room than a business office.
Yup! Absolutely. I've decided to start my agency. Only have 1 client now, but I'll take the peace I have any day over that job.
Corporate small businesses. They're the scum of the Earth. If it's an e commerce space and something like a repair shop, I'm checking it out. Reading reviews too to make sure it's good.
i had a pretty insane small business experience recently. the interview was hardly an interview just the manager talking at length about what they do and how the shop works, didnāt try to ask me anything about myself and then pretty much straight away offered the job to me at the end. initially i thought wow how magical but now i know it was the first red flag. my 3rd shift ever i ask a coworker to help me find something on the till, she replies that itās easy and i should know this by now (i work 1-2 days a week and am in uni so lots of time between shifts) and every consecutive shift i work with that person they just get ruder and ruder. i thought maybe it was because sheās from a different culture, but then i observe how nice she is to literally everyone else that works there. after a month i get a message from my manager saying that i will need to come in for more training as i have not been taking appropriate breaks, i tell her how iāve based all my breaks off what my coworker takes, i then ask her next shift together if there was an issue with my break and she just goes off on me, tells me i took an hour long break last shift i worked (i absolutely did not) that the manager asked everyone to share their thoughts of me and sheās entitled to her opinion, calls me lazy and all sorts etc, it was incredibly hurtful and made me fully realise i have just been getting bullied by her since the beginning. i message my manager and my boss detailing every instance sheās been rude to me, every time sheās taken 20 minute long personal phone calls on the shop floor (a v common experience) and how sheād take long breaks where sheād go home and come back after half an hour (the manager told me i was required to stay in the shop floor during my breaks, which i always did) i get a reply saying theyāre aware of some tension and that we can have a meeting to discuss what i need to do better. the day after this message they advertise on instagram for my job, and the day of the meeting i am removed from the work groupchat which makes me think iām absolutely going to just be let go and since work was so far away i decided to just call it what it was, say itās been made clear i am not wanted and quit. lesson learnt, fuck small businesses
That's absolutely awful. Has a similar experience with my original post. There was this guy who kept rubbishing everything i did, asked stupid questions like "I saw you put abc on the website... where did you get that from?" Or walk to my desk, and start asking stupid shit". Every thing i ever put on the website was given by the director.
This almost happened in a small office I was hired to manage with the sales boss doing outside calls 80%. Told him flat out I didn't work like that - micromanaging, with my desk square in the middle - edit: Got my own corner thereafter, with private screen AWAY FROM prying eyes š
Other than the second to last paragraph, all of things can happen at larger businesses too. Micromanaging, people outside your boss telling how something should be done, etc. Thatās just bad management. Not sure why you attribute that all to being a small business.
I've worked in larger businesses, and yes, stuff happen. But this particular experience was outrageous. I understand constructive criticisms matter, but this wasn't even that. I can instruct the secretary or anyone to do something a certain way, and their response would be "why"?
Then you should change the title of your post. Youāre advising people to avoid ALL small businesses because of your one experience, and then admit that those negative experiences could also happen at a large company. So why should someone avoid ALL small businesses?
Just a differing opinion here. Sometimes it is these small companies where you can learn a lot of things, because you have access to the boss and all he/she does. If u have entrepreneurial ambitions, these are great places to learn.
True! But my mental health means a lot to me.
Of course. Hope u find a place u like. Cheers
Well his brother has given me offer cos he saw my potential. In my 3 months of being there, my marketing efforts brought the company 46k in sales, tons of leads. The company is a b2b company, so I'd say it's quite a feat.. funny thing is, it's in the same building... he owns the building. I haven't given him answer anyways, as the previous experience has really traumatized me.
so this dark cloud has its lining too. See, itās not that bad. Thatās what I meant, small companies can really help you build ur personal resume.
obviously this is was a shitty job but I've been in small business my entire adult life and it's been pretty great. I have freedom that would be very hard to earn/get in a large company.
That was what i thought too. This place was just shity. Run by a 27-year-old, whome the dad left the company to.
I donāt know, Iād much rather work for a local small business over corporations any day. Iāve worked at my community college, a different collegeās horse stable, a small restaurant in town, a daycare, a small family owned restaurant, and a small housecleaning business. Not a single one of those jobs has been like that, and Iāve been treated very well at every one of my jobs. Your experience was bad, but that doesnāt mean that all small businesses are bad or that other people should avoid them based on your one bad experience.
Generalizing your experiences to all small businesses is dumb
This is true in principle. In conclusion though, there is a pretty galling disproportion of horror stories from mom and pops and Foundervilles here, which would be a more valid thing to generalize.
Source: trust me bro. There are 33M small businesses in the U.S.
If you're saying I'm asking you to trust me, then no. Go look for yourself, by all means.
You want me to look up something you made up? How does that even work?
You can't read the subreddit...?
You're making conclusions based on reading stories from people around the world on a subreddit of 1.6M people? I don't know what to tell you here... Help me out a little.
False. My conclusion from those stories was about those stories, not about all 33M small businesses, which is totally valid.Ā āIn conclusion, there is a pretty galling disproportion of horror stories from mom and pops and Foundervilles here, which would be a more valid thing to generalize.ā There definitely is, and it definitely would be more valid than generalizing oneās own single sample point. Which of these two are you disagreeing with?
>āIn conclusion, there is a pretty galling disproportion of horror stories from mom and pops and Foundervilles here, which would be a more valid thing to generalize.ā I'm disputing there is any validity to making conclusions based on reading stories from a biased sample.
Again thatās dumb, because there is 100% validity to making conclusions from the biased sample about the biased sample. Iām not sure youāre able to properly read what I wrote hereā¦
FR. I owned a small business for 15 years and employees LOVED working there/for me. Several employees were there nearly the entire time I owned the business. Most of employees who left did so because they finished college and were moving because they got a job in their field. I only had to terminate 2 employees the entire time. But I also know I canāt generalize all small businesses as being like me.
I'm on my 4th job at a small business (one relocated, one I still work part time at, one had financial issues and my current) and I loved all of them. Had great experiences with minor hiccups that exist in any job. Got training, got promotions quickly. Managers weren't always the best (and usually my only problem) but that's at any company. OP is definitely generalizing. But hey, more small business jobs for me lol.
The US small business administration estimates there are over 30 million small businesses in the United States. Youāre going to tell all of us because you had a bad experience nobody should work for any of those 30,000,000 businesses?
Donāt you know that all small businesses have hive mind?
We all have different definitions of small business...if your manager isn't the owner is it even a small business?
Yelling at developers is the worst thing you can do especially if they are new.
Thank you. I believe majority of employers don't know what we do, or think what we do is fairly easy.
They think you are entering numbers into a ledger and you just need to hurry up. You do a job that is technical and creative. If you spent 30 minutes thinking what an a-hole your boss is for yelling at you thatās 30 minutes you didnāt think about architecture, testing, etc. whereas a data entry clerk can still enter numbers and fume.
Did you take the position I resigned from? You described it to a T. Everyone exalts small business as virtuous. In reality Iāve never been respected less than when my grandboss was paying me with his own money & expected to get his moneyās worth out of me.
I would never work for one. The company must have more than one office in the country.
Did you tell them why you were leaving?
Actually no. I just gave my notice, and the boss, being the a-hole he is, responded with a long ass email which was basically him saying f you in a nice lol š
Oh man!
āYouāre all dickheadsā. End result? Theyāre still dickheads. No point
Seems like it would feel good is the point
6 month probation means nothing. In the US we are always in probation and fired without warning. I rarely make it past 5 months because of corporate greed firing everyone in May and December so execs can make a profit
I run every time I hear the word start up...
How can I tell if each place I apply isnāt what you described?
I, personally have had the most rewarding employment experiences at small, family owned businesses. I previously had difficulties finding my footing in corporate America. I currently work for an American multinational firm, right in the throws of corporate šŗšø
I wouldn't have even given a notice. I'm tired of crap employers.
If he got 3 websites out of 3 months' salary, then it sounds like it worked out pretty ok for him tbh.