The conventional wisdom has been that small businesses just cannot compete with large corporations for the best management talent. However, there seems to be trends that are leveling the playing field among employers of all sizes as they compete for talent.
From the Herman Group:
Attitudes toward human capital are understandably different in smaller organizations. That attitude, and the opportunity to play a more significant role, appeals to people who want to be involved, who seek meaningful work, who want to make a difference. Mix in today’s emerging values centered on life-work balance, personal engagement with work, and being able to choose where you work, and smaller employers become very attractive. Result: those companies will be able to employ high-caliber talent that was not as available in the past. Superstars who sought glamorous jobs in major corporations will show a preference for smaller companies instead.
Recent studies also show that the pay gap between small and large employers is narrowing, with small companies paying about 90% of the wages paid by large employers.
(Thanks to Patricia Jacobs for passing this along).