Why we're celebrating Employee Ownership Day
On 20th June, we celebrated EO Day, when thousands of employee-owners, EO businesses, and supporters of Employee Ownership come together to raise awareness about the benefits of employee ownership.
Today, more than 2,000 businesses in the UK are employee-owned. Research indicates that these businesses enjoy higher employee retention and engagement, and are often more productive, resilient, and rooted in their local communities.
We're now into the fourth year of our own employee ownership journey, following the sale of Haremi to its employees in 2021. At Haremi, we find that employee ownership aligns perfectly with our core values, especially 'Achieving Together'. That's why we decided to call all Haremi employees 'partners', highlighting their role as employee-owners and our collective commitment to collaboration and shared success.
All of our partners enjoy equal shareholding through an Employee Ownership Trust, without having to invest any of their own money. They receive annual bonuses linked to company performance, which are tax-free.
Employee ownership is helping us become more people-focused as a company. While we can't make all the changes we'd like to overnight, we're making great strides with the help of our partner-led Business Improvement Forum and Social Committee. These efforts have enhanced work flexibility, improved our benefits package, and strengthened our Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.
Employee ownership is good news for our customers too. They benefit from our growth, innovation, and a team that is fully invested in providing outstanding service.
As passionate advocates of employee ownership, we're happy to share our insights and experiences with anyone considering this model for their own business. Feel free to contact us for a chat.
