Having just reached my one week anniversary (!) at March, I’ve learned a lot during my introduction to working at a PR firm: valuable internet resources, research techniques, and the very convenient “Match Destination Formatting” pasting option.  My past experiences of interning at various companies taught me to expect an adjustment period to familiarize myself with printer settings, username/password combinations, coffee run etiquette, etc.  However, what I wasn’t expecting to learn was the difference between working for a small firm and a big corporation.

It’s hard to deny some of the obvious benefits that working at a large company offers:

• Last minute stocking stuffers from the supply closet: toddlers just go bananas for sticky mailing labels and neon highlighters!
• Free reign of the laser printers for personal use: I was once asked by a former boss to print 50 bridal shower invitations.  Then, print them again for her when the date was changed.
• Corporate discounts, free Red Sox tickets, gym memberships, and cocktail receptions: no explanation necessary.

And while at first, it seems that the aforementioned freebies alone could be reason enough to work only for large corporations, working at a small-sized firm has its benefits too. And they might just be better.

First, I immediately noticed the open-door policy of the managing partners.  Their door is literally always open.  The layout of the office is small, but because everyone works so closely together physically, it’s easier to ask questions, give feedback, and learn more about each other.

No need to schedule a “regroup” of the earlier “gut check” of the 10am “meeting to touch base” about yesterday’s “status check” here.  The result is better communication and consequently greater client satisfaction.  Next, I noticed the thought that goes into the purchase of office supplies.  Instead of an endless supply of cheap, uncomfortable pens on my desk, I only have two, but the two that I do have are gel point and expensive.  Finally, the atmosphere is different.  It’s a given that each work environment has a different dynamic, but I can say with certainty that the overall attitude in this office is positive, and nothing like the depressing, sterile cubes in which I’ve worked in the past.  The need many corporate workers feel to decorate their cubes with photos, bobble heads, and ticket stubs doesn’t exist here either.  This is probably because at a smaller company, you already have an identity, and people don’t need a sign to remember your name.

Or maybe there’s not that much room here for bobble heads.

There are pros and cons to working in any size company.  For some people, the stocked refrigerators might be just that important.  I’d like to think that happiness is more important to me, and right now, this office size fits me just perfectly.