CFOs at Small Companies Better at Recognizing Staff’s Efforts

Employees are more likely to receive recognition from CFOs at small businesses as opposed to larger businesses, a new survey suggests.

The survey, from the staffing company Accountemps, interviewed CFOs  at small companies with between 20 to 49 employees and found they were twice as likely to report that they thank their staff often enough for doing a great job than their peers at larger firms  with 1,000 workers or more, at a rate of 69 percent versus 34 percent.

Among businesses of all sizes, 65 percent of CFOs felt they do an adequate job of recognizing their employees. 

Within the major metropolitan areas, CFOs from Salt Lake City (78 percent), Washington, D.C. (74 percent) and New York (73 percent) topped the list of respondents who said they provide enough praise.

"Employee recognition at large companies can be challenging due to the size of the organization and the number of individuals each manager may supervise," said Accountemps chairman Max Messmer in a statement. "But recognizing great work is time well spent by leaders. To remain engaged, people need to know their contributions are valued."

The survey was conducted for Accountemps by an independent research firm, based on interviews with more than 2,000 CFOs from a stratified random sample of companies in more than 20 of the largest U.S. markets. CFOs were asked, "Do you feel you thank your employees often enough when they do a good job on an assignment or project?"

In a separate survey by Accountemps, 76 percent of office workers interviewed said their manager provides adequate recognition for good work.

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