Some things beat a hefty paycheck

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Big paychecks and bonuses aren't everything.

Some employees would prefer a better quality of life than a higher salary, suggests a survey released Monday.

Sixty-two percent of small-business employees think that salaries are better at large companies, according to Salary.com's Working for a Small Business Survey.

But they like working at small companies anyway for reasons that include work/life balance, commute times, loyalty, bosses, and relationships with co-workers.

Forty-six percent of those surveyed said the work/life balance was one of the reasons they stayed at a small firm, while 38 percent also cited having an easier commute, 35 percent credited loyalty, 31 percent like their boss and 30 percent mentioned relationships with co-workers.

"Different organizations have different things to offer, and money isn't everything - but it's not nothing," said Bill Coleman, senior vice president and chief compensation officer at Salary.com.

When it comes to base salary, he added, "smaller organizations sometimes have a harder time competing with bigger companies, but they do have other things going for them. They have culture, environment and flexibility."

Also, the perception that big companies offer better salaries may not always be true. Of those surveyed who had worked for a large company, 75 percent said that at a bigger firm, the benefits were better, and 45 percent said the opportunities to move up were greater. Just 38 percent of those respondents said pay was actually better at a large company.

Salary.com surveyed 474 employees from small and large companies.

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