I have primarily worked and interned for small businesses and I find that they can be very exploitive. The one benefit is that it’s usually easier to get hired at them.
In most cases, the owner runs the whole show and is very greedy and stingy when it comes to the employees. There is a ton of micromanaging that happens. I have been consistently underpaid, expected to come into the office while sick with the flu or COVID-19 or work with sick employees, run personal errands for the boss and not be paid mileage, and also ensure verbal abuse by the boss because there is no formal HR department.
Larger companies aren’t perfect but there are way more checks and balances in place most of the time.