October is Employee Ownership Month, and it’s a busy one for us at Aspen EOP. Last week, we released a brief on employee ownership as an economic and workforce development strategy for state and local governments. Today, I’m excited to share our second release: new research on what employee ownership means to the people who live it, co-authored by Maxwell Johnson and me.
We talked with 85 employee-owners at 12 companies. They included ESOPs, employee ownership trusts, worker cooperatives, and companies using broad based equity compensation. Their jobs range from machine operators and truck drivers to caregivers, cooks, and engineers.
The stories are powerful. A caregiver at Capital Homecare Cooperative told us it was “the first time in my working adult life that I felt like the amount of effort I put in was reflected back at me.” A machine operator at Carris Reels, an ESOP, put it simply: “you know you’re making money for your future and for yourself, not just somebody else.”
Woven through those stories is a clear message: ownership is a financial stake, and more. It’s having a voice, agency, shared goals, and sometimes a broader social purpose. And it’s built through the everyday practices of a workplace: sharing how the business is doing, teaching people how it works, listening to ideas from the front line, and investing in people’s growth. Two other things stood out.
First, there is a common ownership experience. Across every model, workers described a real financial stake, a stronger voice in their work, a sense of shared purpose, and pride in giving back to their communities.
Second, there are also meaningful differences. Experiences vary across forms of ownership, but the form is not the only driver. Companies that share the same model also differ, depending on how each one designs and carries out ownership. Choices in form, culture, and implementation can contribute to differences in outcomes and experiences for employee-owners.
Read the report: https://lnkd.in/ghnyJViE
Thank you to the Sorenson Impact Foundation for making this research possible and their leadership on expanding employee ownership. And thank you to the companies and employee owners who opened their doors and shared their experiences: Carris Reels, Inc., FST Logistics, Charter Next Generation, Threaded Fasteners, Inc., Lewis Tree Services, PFSbrands, Optimax Systems, Inc., Ocaquatics Swim School, Capital Homecare Coop, Shine Nurture Center, Local Ocean Seafoods, and ISC (Integrated Specialty Coverages, LLC) And thank you to the many partners who helped inform and support this research and our wonderful EOP colleagues including Maureen Conway and Merrit Stüven for critical contributions and important input they provided to this research.
#EmployeeOwnership #EmployeeOwnershipMonth #JobQuality #OwnershipCulture
