I was chatting to an old friend recently, who used to work as a research chemist for a multinational company – until she lost her job as part of a downsizing campaign. She now works for a much smaller biotech business. I knew that she had taken a while to settle down, so I asked if she’d like to go back to another global corporation.

“No way,” she said, “those companies don’t want or respect people of my age.” She’s in her mid-forties. To my mind that’s young, but she pointed out that none of her downsized colleagues of a similar age (or older) secured jobs in global companies. Yet they were snapped up by smaller businesses.

So why the apparent difference in attitude between small and big business? It seems that the smaller companies were flexible enough to make room for more experienced chemists, whereas the bigger companies, despite their greater wealth and relative security, were not. Instead, the multinationals grabbed the younger people – who were certainly highly employable, but who had lower salary expectations.

So which businesses have the right strategy? I think it might be the smaller ones. Although they’re paying more for the experienced staff than they would have done for the younger people, they expect to get a lot of bang for their bucks. If you ask me, those multinationals don’t know what they’re missing.

Andy

Andrew Mitchinson (Associate Editor, Nature)

Highlights of this week’s science events in London

Matt Brown

Event of the Week

What is the greatest innovation?

6 June, 7pm, Kings College London, Franklin Wilkins Building

New Scientist recently asked a similar question. ‘Radio’ was the conclusion, as advocated by a reader. On Wednesday, it’s the experts’ turn to nominate an innovation. Spiked, in association with Pfizer, will host a panel of ‘key thinkers in science, technology and medicine’ drawn from a pool of hundreds who have contributed to the project. The debate will then continue over on Spiked.

Courses and conferences

On 7 June, a one-day primer course at the Institute of Biology explores legal steps to protect the fruits of your research. Practical guidance will be offered on intellectual property by a top City lawyer. On the same day, the Society of Chemical Industry host the self-explanatory meeting What a chemist needs to know about safety assessment in their Belgrave Square headquarters.

Seminars

On 4 June, St Mary’s hospital hosts a talk entitled ‘Viruses – the yin and yang of asthma’. On 5 June, Prof. Dmitrii F. Perepichka from McGill University will deliver a lecture on two-dimensional molecular networks at the London Centre for Nanotechnology. At a very different scale, Professors Hilary and Steven Rose will discuss globalisation, biotechnology and democracy, at LSE on Tuesday. Finally on 7 June, Professor Ron Evans journeys over from the Salk Institute to talk about metabolic engineering and the dawn of synthetic physiology. That one’s at the Royal College of Physicians.

Public events

It’s World Oceans Day on 8 June. To celebrate (the night before), the Horniman Museum reveals how it mimics the sea in the new aquarium. For a discussion of the unsimulated environment, trek over to the Natural History Museum on 6 June to hear ‘naturalist, conservationist and adventurer’ Tim Flannery discuss his adventures.

And finally

Summer is back. Enjoy the sunshine by joining Kew Gardens’ Wildflower Walk. A slow tour around the gardens will take in the local flora and insects.

Visit our events calendar to see over 70 London events in the next week.