Are Large or Small Employers Better for Neurodivergent People?

After looking back at my experiences, is there a clear winner?

Photo by Jason Goodman on Unsplash

Long before I found out I’m autistic and have ADHD, I worked at a small company for twenty years. Then I moved to a larger place and spent another six years there.

In this article, I share some of the pros and cons I experienced during those years as an employee.

The Small Company Experience

Fewer People

It’s fairly obvious that there will be fewer people around when you’re working at a small company. Even though larger companies can feel less intimidating when they’re split up into departments and teams, it’s never quite the same.

If you find yourself dreading seeing your work colleagues, it’s less likely that you can move to a different team or department, because there might not be any other teams or departments.

In general, I prefer smaller groups. There were times when I worked with around five people, and got along well with them all. Unfortunately, there were also times when I worked with one or two people who seemed impossible to deal with.

Only One of You

With small companies, there is often just one person to do each job — and that can be a mixed blessing.

It can be nice to feel important and needed. But those feelings might fade if you’re regularly expected to work long hours, dealing with problems that nobody else has the skills to fix.

In my case, I was the only electronics and software person for much of the time. My boss did a little bit of that sort of work occasionally, but he often cut corners and created problems…

Also, I didn’t like travelling for work — but if nobody else could solve a particular problem, there were times when I couldn’t avoid it.

Informal

Small companies don’t usually have the resources to implement complex rules. Instead of a company handbook, there might be one or two sheets of paper at most.

You will often report to the owner of the business, or a company director.

Having few rules and a simple hierarchy can be an advantage. If you get along with the people in charge, they might agree to many of your requests, or at least negotiate with you.

If you’re not in a customer-facing role, you can probably wear whatever clothes you like, within reason. I got away with jeans and a T-shirt for much of the time.

Having no clear rules can cause problems though.

My employer had no proper system for pay increases. In many cases, I only got more money after they heard I was looking for another job. That meant my pay stayed the same for a few years, then suddenly increased by a sizeable amount — so it wasn’t very predictable.

Lack of Financial Security

Small firms might not have a large amount of cash in the bank. And employees are more likely to find out about financial problems than they would in a larger place.

For the whole time that I worked for a small company, I used to think they were about to go bust, every single day! Living in a constant state of anxiety wasn’t good for my health.

With few people to answer the phone, I would often find myself taking messages. It was worrying when suppliers were asking about unpaid bills, or the bank wanted to know why the director was not returning their calls.

Variety

Doing the same kind of work every day can be appealing to some people. But sooner or later, it can start to feel quite boring. (The autistic side of me craves sameness, whereas the ADHD side of me needs variety.)

In my experience, when working for a small company, it’s likely that you’ll be asked to do a wide range of different tasks.

Although many of the tasks might be within your field of expertise, some could involve things that you are not qualified or experienced in.

I was often asked to do things that had nothing to do with electronics, such as: painting walls, assisting with screen printing, and photocopying hundreds of documents.

Even when working within my main field, the nature of my work varied greatly every few months, which kept things interesting.

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The Large Company Experience

People Everywhere

With lots of people around, you have more chance of finding someone who you get along with. And if you’re working with someone who you don’t like, there is a good chance that one of you can move to a different team or department.

However, if you find crowds intimidating, or struggle to remember names, you might prefer a small company.

My induction day was overwhelming. I was introduced to dozens of people, and shown around the large site — but I barely remembered any of it, which was embarrassing later.

Feeling Anonymous

If you don’t like to be the centre of attention, a large organisation might be appealing because you can choose to blend into the crowd.

In my case, it was nice to have other people around who were doing similar work. That meant they could step in to help, if I was ill or could not work late for personal reasons. It was also good to feel like there were several people who I could go to, when I needed advice.

After years of feeling indispensable, it was a nice change to be out of the spotlight. But I was more aware that I was replaceable, which made me feel slightly less secure.

More Formal

Large companies are more likely to have lots of rules. It can be good to know where you stand, but sometimes the rules can be complex, which might cause anxiety.

It was quite a change for me to have a contract to sign, and an employee handbook, instead of relying on verbal agreements. But perhaps the best change was having yearly pay increases.

However, I had a habit of worrying about rules which seemed unfair, or the way other people ignored them. And I didn’t like having to wear clothes which were more formal and less comfortable.

Financial Security

If you’re an anxious sort of person, you might feel slightly more secure working for a large company.

Firms of any size can have financial problems. But larger organisations usually have the capacity to carry on for a while, after the appearance of early warning signs, such as redundancies and pay freezes. This can give you time to find a new job.

My small employer went into liquidation, so the staff only got statutory redundancy payments from the government. That was a lot less than people usually get when larger organisations are reducing staffing levels.

Fewer Unusual Tasks

Large companies tend to make the most of their employees’ main skills. So you are less likely to be asked to cover for someone in a different department, or to do something random.

When I worked at a small firm, a woman who assembled printed circuit boards was asked to move concrete using a wheelbarrow! That’s not the sort of thing that tends to happen in larger organisations.

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Final Thoughts

I don’t think there is a clear winner when it comes to company size — there are likes and dislikes in each case.

Perhaps working at a small branch of a large company would work well, especially if there are multiple branches to choose from. That way, you have the structure and financial backing, along with the feel of a smaller organisation.

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Thank You

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At the time of writing, the following article is the first in a series about my workplace experiences:
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