Anyone here work in a corporate setting? (or know people who do?)

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I’m curious because as of right now I work in a corporate setting for a restaurant business. I was sitting at lunch today and I realized that I actually do enjoy being in kitchens with the heat, the mess, and the (good) stress and anxiety during a busy night. I figure working for this corporate firm in a restaurant wouldn’t be a bad gig.

But of course a simple Google search came-back with numerous complaints about the firm I work for, how working for them sucks, how the company is terrible, etc. Needless to say I don’t want to end-up working as a part of some soulless corporate machine and I’m cynical as to what it’s like. I tried being positive but that hasn’t worked much. I basically want a career that pays well and which I will enjoy. I do realize working for a corporation isn’t bad if you’re lucky and I hope that I could do just that. I also realize not all firms are like this but I am inherently suspicious of all corporations (even as a business-minded person).

The other issue is that I want a job that I truly enjoy and which is fulfilling…and that pays well. It often seems you do what you love and you’re dirt poor or you do what you sorta like but get paid well. I’m hoping for something different.

Sorry if this sound confused…the past few days I have become very cynical, upset, and lost because what I really felt I wanted to do I now realize I don’t and I don’t know where to go next. I’m not cynical about finding jobs, just finding ones where I am a cubicle rat ala Office Space.

Pax!
 
I’ve worked for both corporate and small businesses of the same area. I much prefer small business. I just think in general they tend to care more about their employees and customers both. Care about the customers more because they’re not just in it for the money, they enjoy owning the business and care about the employees more because they know them personally (in general)

But I mean, do what makes you happy. If you don’t have any issues with your corporation then it works for you, it just doesn’t work for everyone.
 
I work for a very large Company, not a Corperation, but I’m not sure it’s all that different.

I work here at will, and when and if I want to leave I will. They emply me at will and when and if they decide to stop employing me they will. Both my employer and I have a great deal of freedom. It isn’t a bad deal at all. Give it a try, If you want to quit, quit. There’s non eed to stay in a job you hate. Make wise spending choices and do a better job than the next guy and you’ll be able to leverage the fact that you’re a valuable cog who could go elsewhere at the drop of a hat in your favor.
 
Corporations are just people working together, so it depends on how well people work together.

Of course it also depends on what kinds of management policies corporations put in place and how flexible they may be. In the end, all policy must be executed by people, and common sense must be used.

I worked for the federal government and found that even though the regulatory apparatus tried to take the place of common sense, common sense could still be exercised, but that is easier when working out of a small office than a large one. Bureaucracies tend to become more inflexible when they are more centralized.
 
Right now I work for a small company, about 30 employees. I honestly can’t stand it, mostly because of my coworkers but the owner is also a jerk.

Last summer I worked for one of the largest oil companies in the world (a very good and responsible oil company) and it was great. There is room to go wherever you want within the company and many more people to network with. I much prefer the corporate environment to the small beans company I am with now.

It really just depends on personal preference and the culture of the company though.
 
I work for a large company

Benefits:
Ability to transfer anywhere in US or overseas
Good medical/dental benefits
more job security
less infighting
more ability to give large amounts of money to the community

At the end of the day I KNOW one or two bad events will NOT leave me without a job…whereas I know many who’ve run their business and an lost everything in a blink of an eye. (eg. A shipment was damaged that had already come in late, customers couldn’t buy. Smaller places have little recourse, bigger places swallow the initial costs, close the sale, return the bad merch. by playing hardball with the vendor and ship the good product to each customer’s home, writing off the shipping costs at the end of the year)

Drawbacks:
Lower pay
having to deal with stupid operating decisions from corporate
if one unit does something stupid your national reputation can be ruined (and make it hard to find another job)

In the end I’d say that it’s a trade off. A corporation like Walmart is a horrible degrading place to work, but working at Keith’s family hardware can be just as much as a dead end. (unless of course you’re Keith Jr.)

Some corporations are great and are bad, just like mom & pop places can be good or bad. For the most part corporations do MORE than mom & pop can because they share the overhead of billing and utilities and advertising costs. Corporations can use their money for good. I can afford to do large community outreach projects, I can use my corporation’s clout to recruit and train better workers, and I can have pet projects that I could never DREAM of in a small place.
 
It is so interesting that your moniker is Lotus Cars Ltd. I used to work for GM who often enlisted the help of engineers from Lotus to work on the Corvette drivetrain. Interesting business and I really loved the people I worked with. We had Canadians, Michiganders :), Englanders and all sorts of interesting people. Don’t get me wrong many had their faults but I preferred working with as intelligent people as they were.

On the other side of the coin, I worked for a major TV network and hated it. There was a lot of political backstabing, lying and sexual harrassment. One might think it was an altruistic experience to work for them because there are generally well respected by the public but it was just the opposite.

Banking was also good and I enjoyed it very much.

The only perfect job is working for yourself doing what you love to do IMHO.

Best to you and God Bless.🙂
 
Of my top 3 bosses, one was in the corporate structure and one was a small business owner. Each of those places was a great place to work because of them.

I have worked for corporates where the management was terrible and small businesses where they didn’t really know what they were doing.

So all is not lost if you go corporate, and all will not necessarily be well if you go for a small business job.

(However, I knew someone who started as a line cook in a corporate situation who ended up traveling all around the country helping set up new restaurants, so the corporate world does offer more options and possibilities for advancement.)
 
Find what you love to do. When you do what you love doing you will do it very well with less effort. When you do well at doing what you love you will find yourself getting paid in the top 20% (or more) of those in your profession. There is nothing wrong with wanting success for yourself. I think it becomes wrong when you don’t use your talents for the Glory of God. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to work in the Church to bring glory to Him.

Eric Liddell character in Chariots of Fire movie: “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.” Let this be you when you do what you were made for. Doesn’t necessarily have to be a traditional job though. Good luck and peace be with you!
 
philippaul said:
Find what you love to do. When you do what you love doing you will do it very well with less effort. When you do well at doing what you love you will find yourself getting paid in the top 20% (or more) of those in your profession. There is nothing wrong with wanting success for yourself. I think it becomes wrong when you don’t use your talents for the Glory of God. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to work in the Church to bring glory to Him.
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My friends and I are starting a band and as we all agreed: we’re doing this as a hobby but if we can make it a full-time (and in my case, well-paying) career we’re doing it.
 
I work for a big corporation now and worked for an even bigger one in the past. I have enjoyed both places very much. I think the large corporate environment can be great.
LotusCarsLtd said:
But of course a simple Google search came-back with numerous complaints about the firm I work for, how working for them sucks, how the company is terrible, etc. Needless to say I don’t want to end-up working as a part of some soulless corporate machine and I’m cynical as to what it’s like. I tried being positive but that hasn’t worked much. I basically want a career that pays well and which I will enjoy. I do realize working for a corporation isn’t bad if you’re lucky and I hope that I could do just that. I also realize not all firms are like this but I am inherently suspicious of all corporations (even as a business-minded person).
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Keep in my that anyone who posts reviews of a company online and bashes them has really strong feelings for the company and may not be representative of the whole workfaorce. If you work for a large company, there will always be people who are unhappy with the way things are or how they perceive they are being treated. It is inevitable. It doesn’t mean the company is bad.

Why are you suspicious of corporations?
LotusCarsLtd said:
The other issue is that I want a job that I truly enjoy and which is fulfilling…and that pays well. It often seems you do what you love and you’re dirt poor or you do what you sorta like but get paid well. I’m hoping for something different.
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Yeah, sometimes. I really like my field and job…I think people would say I’m paid well. But ‘paid well’ is a relative term. A good salary down south may not be so good in NYC or Chicago.
purplesunshine said:
I work for a large company

Benefits:
Ability to transfer anywhere in US or overseas
Good medical/dental benefits
more job security
less infighting
more ability to give large amounts of money to the community
Better HR
Research/Project grants
Stock options/purchase programs
Intellectual capital
Large professional network
Immediate name recognition/credibility
Free training

Drawbacks:
Lower pay Not always true, some pay very well
having to deal with stupid operating decisions from corporate
if one unit does something stupid your national reputation can be ruined (and make it hard to find another job)
Sometimes you can get screwed by the poor performance of another unit which could affect your raise
Corporations move slower than small businesses
If you aren’t proactive you can get lost in the crowd
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purplesunshine said:
Some corporations are great and are bad, just like mom & pop places can be good or bad. For the most part corporations do MORE than mom & pop can because they share the overhead of billing and utilities and advertising costs. Corporations can use their money for good. I can afford to do large community outreach projects, I can use my corporation’s clout to recruit and train better workers, and I can have pet projects that I could never DREAM of in a small place.
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Seconded
 
There is such a thing as a corporate culture that drives all aspects of your working relationship in a corporation, but the micro-environment (it does not take long to get into corporate-speak) is more important to your day to day success and comfort level than the macro. I have worked for GM, as a contractor and as an employee, in 3 different divisions, 3 different jobs (all of which no longer exist btw) and the jobs and conditions and work environment, people, management every aspect were as different as night and day.
 
Not always true, some pay very well
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Paying well is a relative term. I really did mean lower pay, not low pay. Most corporations/large companies don’t pay near as much as you could earn at a smaller company or doing freelance work simply because they take on the risk of your employment.
 
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