I’ve just returned after attending the Oxford Symposium on Employee Ownership and wanted to share my experiences of the event. This is the second year that the Symposium has taken place. Organised by Graeme Nuttall OBE and Professor John Hoffmire, the aim is to bring together individuals and organisations active in employee ownership from across
The Great Resignation; Quiet Quitting; Quiet Firing.
Whatever the buzzwords, there’s no doubt about one thing: companies are struggling to find enough workers.
There currently are two job openings for every unemployed person in America, but attracting scarce people is only half of the battle.
Just as difficult is engaging them (and keeping them engaged), so they don’t jump ship at
Among the new laws taking effect in California this year is the California Employee Ownership Act, which encourages small-business owners to give their employees a stake in the company. Passed with unanimous support, the law sets up an employee ownership hub in the governor’s office to support companies that want to pursue this business
Since 2011, we have focused on employee ownership and engagement as key drivers in building stronger companies throughout our private equity portfolio, first with our Americas Industrials investments and now more broadly across sectors and regions. The centerpiece of the strategy has been:
Corey Rosen, Founder, National Center for Employee Ownership
Johnny’s Pizza House is a chain of 38 company-owned pizza and eleven franchise restaurants in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Johnny’s employees don’t just serve up slices—they get a slice of the company too. Johhny’s is 100% owned by its almost 1,000 employees though an Employee Stock Ownership Plan
This piece was written by Carole Leslie, one of the delegates to the symposium. Where she refers to EO, she is talking about employee ownership. This symposium was generously supported by three organizations and an individual. The Employee Ownership Foundation was our major sponsor and The Menke Group, Prairie Capital Advisors, and Steven Fischer gave
The National League of Cities (NLC) and the Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI) released today new guidance for U.S. cities to pursue equitable post-COVID economic recovery through the use of employee ownership.
The new report, titled “Economic Recovery and Employee Ownership,” walks city
George Clason, in his classic book titled “The Richest Man in Babylon,” wrote this line: “A part of all I earned was mine to keep.” In the 1950s, a lawyer named Louis Kelso coined the term “Employee Stock Ownership Plan” (ESOP). The intent of ESOPs is to significantly increase employee incentives and productivity, while giving
Merrick’s employee ownership journey started at the beginning of our company, with Founder Sears Merrick. In fact, the first stock transactions in Merrick’s history were recorded in the year we were incorporated, 1959. Sears had a theory that anyone who worked for themselves would work that much harder (and he was right!). From
Fireclay Tile, the socially responsible California tile maker with a mission to do good, today announced a significant expansion to Employee Ownership. As the first and only Certified B Corp™ tile maker and the first Climate Neutral Certified tile company, Fireclay Tile strives to galvanize others in the industry to build a better version of capitalism
The gap between rich and poor has widened in many countries over the past few decades and continues to expand. So here’s an idea: What if more companies allowed employees to own a share of the pie? Many economists and business experts think society would become more equitable if workers owned a stake in their
In theory, employee ownership through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) is an almost perfect idea, since it benefits employees and businesses equally and simultaneously.
Shares are allocated to, rather than purchased by, the employees, which puts ownership within the grasp of many who might never own a business otherwise. Employees have a strong incentive to
Gene Milstein, founder, and his wife, Dee Milstein, co-owner of Applewood Seed Company, announce the formation of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), transferring significant ownership of the company to current and future employees.
As part of a comprehensive succession plan, the Milsteins formed the ESOP to implement their goal of keeping Applewood Seed as a
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), one of the most conservative members of Congress, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), one of the most liberal, have both introduced sweeping proposals to broaden employee ownership in the U.S. That surprising fact testifies to just how practical—and urgent—this idea is.
Too many Americans have too
After the bruising crises we’re now going through, it would be wonderful if we could somehow emerge a fairer nation. One possibility is to revive an old idea: sharing the profits.
The original idea for businesses to share profits with workers emerged from the tumultuous period when America shifted from farm to factory. In December 1916,
“Treat employees like they make a difference and they will.” Jim Goodnight, CEO SAS
Why consider employee ownership?
Think about the first time you applied for a job or interviewed someone for a job. The conversation probably did not include a discussion of who owned the company. For public companies, this is not surprising, because employees may
Every year, around 400 of the best and most successful U.S. companies vie against one another to make it onto Fortune’s list of the ‘100 Best Companies to Work for in America’.
In addition to the prestige of being named in the announcement via the well-respected magazine, inclusion also enables companies to attract better talent as
Brett Jones plans to arrange at least sixteen acquisitions over the next five years. He just closed on the first one.
Since they became widespread among private equity firms in the 1980s, acquisition strategies, including leveraged buyouts, have become a key part of the playbook leading to the demise of many iconic U.S. companies — including
he ESOP Association is pleased that employee ownership arose in the Democratic party Presidential debate last night and that multiple candidates were able to vocalize their support. We believe more Americans need to know about and participate in employee ownership—especially ESOPs, which are the largest and most common form of employee ownership—and would encourage greater
Employee ownership advocates maintain that if more citizens were owners of businesses, then wealth inequality, and perhaps income inequality, would decrease. I believe it would, too. But I also say it depends.
Taking note that the most common form of having employees be “owners” is the employee stock ownership
