About two thirds (65 percent) of German top managers prefer working in small and medium-sized entities, to be more precise in those SMEs with a turnover of between 50 and 500 million Euro (53.1 percent). Very surprising is the fact that 50 percent of executive managers already working for major companies feel also attracted by SMEs. In future, only 38 percent of these executives want to go on working for a group which is not family-owned.
These are some of the findings of the sixth “Managerpanel” survey carried out by the LAB Lachner Aden Beyer & Company personnel consultancy.
Participants in the study were questioned on their most important criteria when looking for a potential new employer. The parameters most sought are a high degree of personal responsibility (97 percent) and quick decision making (92 percent). Both these criteria together with sound capital resources as well as high innovative power can be found particularly in upscale SMEs. Less important to executives are, however, responsibility for cost centre budgets (37 percent), security of employment (32 percent) and responsibility for staff issues (21 percent).
Quite unattractive to top managers are also major companies which are family-owned with an annual turnover of more than 500 million Euros: only 13 percent of all top managers prefer this kind of employer and three quarters (74 percent) do not think that these companies will play an increasingly important role in the future. “It is the small and medium-sized entities (SMEs) which determine the economic development of our country, not major companies”, summarizes Peter Lachner, managing director of LAB & Company and initiator of the study in question.
Detailed findings of the study are available for free-of-charge-download in PDF format. 