Over the last few years I came to realize how different what you do for for a living can feel in different scenarios even though what you’re doing on a micro level is the same. And at the moment, my conclusion is that it all depends on the level of mutuality. Not mainly in terms of friendship, though having a good buddy at work is a big advantage, but rather in terms of people doing the same stuff as you, each and every day, who have an innate understanding of your coping with whatever it is.
This doesn’t require to work at a big company, it can also be a small one like a … garage. While I’m at it, I want to share some insight concerning how small and non-small (how big is big?) companies differ, and it just my point of view. Let’s define big companies as businesses with more than 100 employees. That’s not a lot, but it’s enough to make sure you don’t have a close relationship with everyone who’s working there, though you may know all of their names.
In big companies you have a good chance of finding a buddy, someone working in the same position as you, having a similar background or worldview, someone you can genuinely like. And even if not, you’re rarely alone, because in most cases the only exclusive position is the CEO. She’s the only one who has no friends, because that’s the price of power (ha!). Also, whenever there’s a tense atmosphere, you can go somewhere else and lighten up.
When you’re in a small company where almost everyone is working towards the same goal with similar tasks, chances are you’re on a subcontractor. Which means this is no real enterprise because the jobs keep coming in from the same source, and that has a serious impact on the atmosphere, which is a good one. Because? The absence of the pressure of finding the next client or customer is an enormous benefit. The only downside of this scenario might be that all of you colleagues are so different from you that it’s not easy to get along, but there’s a good chance you’ll respect and value each other’s work.
And again, the situation is very different when you’re working at a small company where everyone is practically having a different job though you’re working towards the same goal. One is working conceptually, one does most of the administrative work, the third is the techie, because you need one to keep all the gear running somehow. This is a difficult scenario in which the atmosphere hugely depends how you get along as characters, because on the operational level it’s very often 2 vs. 1. Everyone has individual needs and wants appreciation and respect for their work, but the other two don’t know what’s going on at the micro-level. This again leads to a focus on results, which can be devastating at times, because of different (unspoken) expectations and so forth.
And no matter where you are now or where you want to be going, it’s always important to remember that you cannot expect people to fully appreciate the effort you’re putting into your work. And the more you put your heart into it, the more vulnerable and sensitive you are when someone comes to judge the result or work in progress. On the other hand, it’s important to constantly treat people the way you want to be treated, and still mutual appreciation and respect will go a long way. There’s an upward spiral, and a downward one. The choice is yours.