National Survey: Workers at Large Companies Report Highest Level of Extreme Job Dissatisfaction
12th Annual "Attitudes in the American Workplace" Poll by Harris Interactive® for The Marlin Company finds employees in small - size companies are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs.
North Haven, CT (PRWEB) September 12, 2006
Job seekers: if you desire a personal life, don't want to be unhappy on the job or treated unfairly, you're more likely to find all these qualities at small-sized companies than at large firms, according to a new national survey. If all you care about is money, however, you're more likely to command a high salary at a large company.
A new national survey has found that only 28% of US workers at large companies (1001+ employees) (*1) are strongly satisfied with their job compared to 41% of workers at small companies. (1-100 employees). (*2)
The survey conducted by Harris Interactive® for The Marlin Company (www. themarlincompany. com), the workplace communications experts, also found that 46% of workers at large companies were likely to agree that the job often interferes with personal and family needs compared to 31% of employees at small companies. (*3)
When it comes to annual income, however, employees at larger companies were likely to be better off. While 17% of employees at large companies reported an annual personal income before taxes of $100,000 or more, only 5% of workers at small companies reported earning that much.
Base: All Respondents
% strongly disagree that not particularly satisfied with job:
Small company (1-100) -- 41%
Large (1001+) -- 28%
% Annual income before taxes of $100k or more:
Small company (1-100) -- 5%
Large (1001+) -- 17%
% agree job often interferes with personal and family needs:
Small company (1-100) -- 31%
Large (1001+) -- 46%
These are some of the results of The Marlin Company's 12th Annual "Attitudes in the American Workplace" survey of 751 U. S. workers 18 and older. The survey was conducted in May and June 2006 with a sampling error for the overall results of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.
The survey also found that workers at small companies are least likely to think they are treated unfairly at work with 55% strongly disagreeing that they are treated unfairly compared to 44% at medium-size companies and 40% at large firms.
"While it is tempting to take a job offer from a large company which often can pay a higher salary and provide more resources than a smaller company, working for the little guy also has its plusses," said Frank Kenna III, president of The Marlin Company, which improves employee morale, performance and productivity through innovative communication programs that reach all employees. "Smaller companies often give employees more responsibility from the start, are less politicized and less bureaucratic."
Large and mid-size companies have advantages for employees when it comes to providing information or resources to help employees eat right, exercise and get regular medical care. While 64% of employees at mid-size firms and 75% at large companies say their employer provides a great deal or moderate amount of such information or resources, only 42% of workers at small companies say their employer does so.
However, the resources and information may not necessarily lead to employees taking care of their health. While 73% of employees at small companies said the average employee in his or her company takes care of his or her health, 65% of employees in medium-size companies said the average employee took care of his or her health and 70% of employees in large companies also indicated the same.
The survey also found that employees at small and mid-size companies are more likely to have most of their social support network at work. While 22% of employees at small firms and 20% of employees at mid size companies said that the majority of their social support network is at work, just 9% of employees at large firms said this was the case.
About the Survey
Harris Interactive® conducted the telephone survey in the U. S. on behalf of The Marlin Company between May 30 and June 15, 2006 among 751 U. S. adults ages 18 or older who are employed. Figures for age, race/ethnicity, education, income, and region were weighted, where necessary, to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. With a pure probability sample of 751, one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/-3.6 percentage points. Sampling error for subsamples would be higher and would vary. However that does not take other sources of error into account. This survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
About The Marlin Company
For more than 90 years, The Marlin Company has been the Workplace Communication Experts helping companies improve employee morale, productivity and performance through the innovative use of original, visually engaging content that is displayed in Communication Stations that can be managed through print or Internet distribution. Its stations, which contain content customized by industry, are helping more than 8,000 companies of all sizes improve workplace attitudes and behavior.
Through its many years of experience, The Marlin Company has developed a strong database of, and experience in, issues affecting the workplace. It routinely surveys thousands of clients to determine their current issues, works with industry experts across North America, and conducts national polling. Since 1995, it has conducted its annual "Attitudes in the American Workplace" Labor Day poll. In the early years, the Gallup Organization conducted the polling. Harris Interactive has done so since 2001. For more information, please see www. themarlincompany. com.
Footnotes:
(1) Caution should be exercised when interpreting these results due to small base sizes (N = 96 for "Large Companies").
(2) Respondents were asked to rate their level of agreement on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being strongly disagree and 10 being strongly agree. This finding is based on the percentage of respondents who selected 1.
(3) Respondents were asked to rate their level of agreement on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being strongly disagree and 10 being strongly agree. This finding is based on the net percentage of respondents who selected 6-10.
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