Small business staff have the highest job satisfaction

Good news for small business owners as global research from LinkedIn finds that SMEs are leading the way on keeping their staff happy, with the UK’s small businesses currently enjoy the country’s highest levels of job satisfaction.

The results come from LinkedIn’s Work Satisfaction Survey which questioned more than 10,000 professionals and over 3,500 employers worldwide.

It found that UK firms employing ten workers or fewer created the most positive working environments, and having the opportunity to positively impact others is one of the key differentiating factors in job satisfaction at small and large companies.

77% of employees in small business would also recommend their employer to a friend, compared to only two-thirds at the largest companies in Britain.

Not only did one in five UK workers say that they’d prefer to work for a small business than larger one, but over a third would even be willing to take a pay cut for the chance to work for a start-up.

Despite this advantage, more than three quarters of SME employers feel that they still have to work harder than larger companies in their industry to attract the best candidates.

Commenting on the survey, LinkedIn’s director of talent solutions, Dan Dackombe commented, “Thanks to social media, it’s never been easier for smaller employers to effectively engage potential new hires. However, our research shows that they feel the need to work harder to recruit despite consistently punching above their weight on employee fulfilment. Our country’s SMEs have a great story to tell and have an opportunity to capitalise on their size when it comes to hiring.”

Dackombe shared the following tips for small businesses looking to attract top candidates:

1. Boost your employer brand online: The majority of today’s job seekers will check out a business’s website and LinkedIn presence before committing to an interview or applying to a job. Make sure they best reflect why your company is a great place to work.
2. Know what you stand for: More than half of UK professionals wouldn’t consider a job with a company if they didn’t know or agree with its values. It’s crucial to communicate a firm sense of what your company stands for and what it means to work there.
3. Show, don’t tell: Use pictures and videos to showcase your company culture through your people. It’s never been easier or more affordable to capture your culture on camera using smartphones and simple editing applications and then share via your LinkedIn Company Page. LinkedIn’s newly redesigned Career Pages enable employers to better show off their culture to potential new hires by showcasing current employees.
4. Your employees are your biggest asset: Your existing employees connect you to hundreds or thousands of potential new hires. Make sure you’re encouraging them to be your biggest ambassadors by supplying them with relevant and engaging content such as company news and updates they can share with their networks.

For more information take a look at 12-step checklist for hiring employees.