WAYNE, Pa. (March 28, 2007) – What are the benefits of working for a large organization? Do workers give up something when they move from a smaller organization to larger one? Some of these findings may surprise you. The latest research conducted by the Kenexa Research Institute (KRI), a division of Kenexa® (NASDAQ: KNXA), a leading provider of talent acquisition and retention solutions, describes the similarities and differences between workers employed by larger (over 10,000 employees) and smaller (less than 10,000 employees) organizations. The recently compiled data for this study is from 2004-2006 Kenexa organizational effectiveness surveys conducted in U.S. and European multinational companies. This total study population was over 3.5 million employees.
Survey items where larger company workers had at least a 10% more favorable rating than their smaller company counterparts included communication of company goals and objectives; feeling valued by the organization; the job itself – the kind of work performed; opportunity available to improve skills; being treated with dignity and respect; the reasonableness of workload; recognition received; and, pride. Smaller company workers have the advantage over their larger company counterparts on compatibility of values (24% difference – largest difference in the study); internal support received from other departments; my manager helping me grow and develop; communication of a clear vision of the company’s future; being encouraged to serve the customer in innovative ways; personal authority regarding decisions; emphasis/structure to support customer service; and, being kept informed on important matters.
In what areas are larger and smaller companies the same? Absolutely no differences (0%) were found on these eight items: work and personal life balance; feel part of team; access to resources to do job effectively; receive needed information for job; manager provides feedback; organization committed to ethical conduct; can report unethical practices without fear of reprisal; and, manager is readily accessible.
Jeffrey Saltzman, New York Practice Leader for Kenexa, said, “Many notions exist about what it is like to work in larger or smaller organizations. While some of the more commonly accepted notions seem to bear out in the data, others are debunked. For instance, people in larger organizations can feel as, if not more valued than people in smaller ones. Additionally 78% of larger organization workers report that they enjoy the work they are doing and feel pride in working for their respective companies – as contrasted to statements you often read about worker unhappiness.”
He continued, “Smaller companies seem to have an edge in attracting people with values similar to their own. This is likely helped by their better performance in articulating a clear vision of the future of the organization. Additionally, they seem to have an advantage in the area of customer service, encouraging innovative customer service and providing support in that area.”
Saltzman shared that in a nod to the pervasiveness of Sarbanes-Oxley, Kenexa found no differences on the commitment to ethical conduct (which has been trending upward over the last 20 odd years) and the ability to report ethical lapses without fear of reprisal.
“What is also interesting to me, though not unexpected, is the similarity of score on work/life balance,” Saltzman said, “Work/life balance is one of the few areas that has been declining and often comes up as issue. These findings show the pervasiveness of the issue in both larger and smaller organizations.”
Kenexa has an unequalled database of worldwide employee survey results that allows the company to provide exceptional insights to organizations of all sizes on a global basis. This business-critical information enables international organizations to better maximize their overall performance.
About Kenexa
Kenexa Corporation (NASDAQ:KNXA) provides outsourcing, employee research and software to help organizations more effectively recruit and retain a productive workforce. Kenexa solutions include applicant tracking, employment process outsourcing, onboarding, skills and behavioral assessments, structured interviews, performance management, multi-rater feedback surveys, employee engagement surveys and HR Analytics. Headquartered in Wayne, Pa. (outside Philadelphia), Kenexa employs more than 1,200 people worldwide. More information about Kenexa and its global locations can be accessed at www.kenexa.com.
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