Creating Effective Workplace Participation
Is a Key to Getting the Full Benefit of Employee Ownership
There is substantial evidence that employee owned companies that provide employees a daily role in making workplace decisions are more successful than other comparable companies. See multiple studies described under “Firm Performance” from the National Center for Employee Ownership.
Our client, Zingerman’s in addition to having a unique form of employee ownership has been an extraordinary leader in workplace participation and education. Most of the 11 businesses in the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses (ZCOB) have been created by their employees who worked through a substantial company program called “Path to Partnership”. Under that program they were challenged to create a business plan for a new food business that was sufficiently convincing that the two original partners would make a minority ownership contribution into the business and include it in Zingerman’s brand and joint services.
Their commitment to training led them to create a Zingtrain, a training business that not only serves their employee training needs, but that is highly regarded and utilized by many other companies seeking to improve customer service and worker participation and commitment to their companies.
Deborah Groban Olson has worked with several employee owned companies to restructure their governance to reduce tensions, improve morale, make them more participative and productive. For Once Again Nut Butter, she helped them create a decision making system that provides, for 75 types of company decisions (policy and operational), who has input, who has decision making authority, and (where relevant) who must ratify.
EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP THAT FITS YOUR NEEDS
We can smoothly transition your privately-owned business to a worker-owned one that meets the seller’s objectives, is socially responsible and includes employee participation. Learn more
TESTIMONIAL
“Before the ESOP, we had 100% employee turnover in our Michigan and North Carolina facilities. Now that the ESOP owns the company, turnover is 20% company wide. Although many of our jobs are physically demanding, our company has become an employer of choice.” -David Fitzgerald, CFO, Carris Reels
