Does working for a small company mean receiving small benefits? Apparently so, according to the 2014 U.S. Worker Survey, conducted last December on behalf of Colonial Life and Unum.

Only 44 percent of employees at very small businesses (fewer than 10 employees) have benefits at work, compared with 82 percent of all employees. Companies that are only slightly larger, with between 10 and 99 employees, do much better, with 75 percent offering benefits.

Perhaps the worst news for small employers is that their workers know they are getting the short end of the stick.

• Benefits package. Only 25 percent of employees at very small companies who are offered benefits rate their benefits as excellent or very good, compared with 58 percent of employees at large companies.

• Benefits understanding. Sixty-two percent of employees at very small companies who are offered benefits report a good understanding of their benefits, well below the 80 percent reported by workers at large firms.

• Value of benefits. Fifty-five percent of very small business workers who are offered benefits agree they highly value the insurance benefits provided by their employer, compared to 70 percent at large firms.