Three Perks of the Modern Small Office Setting

If you're in human resources, it is your job to convince prospective employees that your company is a great place to work. Sometimes, job candidates, unaware of small office perks, are hesitant to work in a small office because they worry about company growth or advancement opportunities. That means you need to be ready to sell job candidates small office perks.

1. Flat Hierarchy

The first important small office perk has to do with a flattened hierarchy. In a larger office, employees are often separated from the true decision makers by several layers of middle management. This means that employees feel like their concerns are not heard and their contributions are not valued. In a large company, it is easy to feel like a cog in a machine, surrounded by a dense hierarchy of managers and supervisors.

In a small office, however, the hierarchy is relatively flat. With only a few people around to share the workload, everyone's contribution gets full credit, and everyone has the opportunity to share ideas and improve the business. Instead of being separated from decision makers, employees are likely to be only one level away from the CEO or business owner and are able to interact with that person on a daily basis.

2. Networking and Mentoring

This leads naturally into the second small office perk: increased networking and mentoring opportunities. In a small office, everyone works together to make the team better. Fewer staff mean more resources go towards mentoring and developing each individual staff member. Mentoring relationships are one of the best ways for new employees to build skills and advance their careers, and providing enough resources to give each new team member a formal or informal mentor is one key small office perk.

3. Flexibility

The third small office perk often involves increased flexibility. Larger companies create strict rules about dress codes, lunch breaks and personal time off simply to manage large numbers of people fairly. In a small office, employers are more likely to offer flexible work arrangements on a case-by-case basis. Small offices are also more likely to allow flexibility in office decoration, colleague interaction and other elements that larger offices are forced to standardize.

Because small offices do not have to spread resources among a large group of employees, these offices come with many other perks. In addition to the small office perks listed above, these offices also often include funds for career training and increased opportunities to take leadership roles. As office design company Herman Miller notes, small offices are better places to achieve the often-elusive work-life balance, perhaps the most important modern office perk of all.

The next time a job candidate expresses concern about working for your small office, explain these small office perks. The modern office has many benefits to offer today's employees, and small offices often offer the most benefits of all.

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